The sand cat ( Felis margarita ) is one of the least studied desert-adapted small felids. The current extent of the species in its historic range is poorly understood, and the species’ presence has been particularly uncertain in the State of Qatar. In the present study, we deployed a total of 85 motion-triggered cameras across four study sites in Qatar from February 2022 to January 2025 (active period of 713 days) to fill the aforementioned knowledge gap. These cameras remained active in the field for a total of 9,444 trap nights, during which the sand cat was detected exclusively in Al-Ureiq Reserve at 16 locations representing 106 different detection events. This represents the first confirmed record of sand cat presence in Qatar based on systematic sampling, effectively resolving the long-standing uncertainty regarding the species’ occurrence in the country. We also investigated the species’ site-use pattern using the unmarked package in the R program, based on species presence-absence records and site covariates. The top model, based on AIC, indicated that the sand cat’s site use and detection in the study area were influenced by the Fractional Vegetation and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. This suggests that the species prefer vegetated areas, which in turn may be linked to food availability in terms of rodents and reptiles, shelter, and avoidance from predators and humans. Additionally, we found that sand cats remained active throughout the year, with a slight decline during spring and autumn. Importantly, they were found to be actively breeding in the reserve, as evidenced by a photo capture of a female with two cubs. Our findings highlight the critical role of protected areas in sustaining a viable sand cat population in Qatar, where the species may otherwise have been extirpated or diminished. We recommend scaling up this study across Qatar to capture nationwide distribution patterns, while also extending similar efforts across the broader Arabian Peninsula. Further research focused on population estimation, density pattern, recruitment, movement, and diet will be instrumental in developing an evidence-based conservation strategy for the sand cat, both within Qatar and across its regional range.
Nawaz et al. (Thu,) studied this question.