BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Globally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that around 2,500 adult flat-headed cats remain in the wild, classifying the species as endangered. In Thailand, the domestic cat-sized feline has long been listed as “possibly extinct,” with the last documented sighting in 1995.

But an ecological survey that began last year, using camera traps in southern Thailand’s Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary, recorded 29 detections of the animal with a distinctive round and close-set eyes, according to the country’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and wild cat conservation organization Panthera.

While the rediscovery offers hope, it is only a “starting point” for future conservation efforts, said veterinarian and researcher Kaset Sutasha of Kasetsart University.

“What comes after this is more important — how to enable them to live alongside us sustainably, without being threatened.”