A fossa at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2009, courtesy of Ltshears via Wikimedia Commons.

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The fossa, a rare and unusual cat-like predator on the island of Madagascar, is endangered and faces an uncertain future, researchers say.

In areas that were once strongholds, few fossas can be found as villagers hunt and kill the animals in an effort to protect livestock, including chickens, the BBC reported Friday.


The fossa, genetically related to the mongoose, is an expert climber and well-equipped for chasing down lemurs, small shrew-like creatures called tenrecs and almost any other animal in Madagascar's forests.

Official estimates suggest fewer than 2,500 fossas survive and the animal should be considered endangered, researchers say.

Mia-Lana Luhrs from the University of Gottingen in Germany says she has recorded a substantial drop in the number of fossas living in the Kirindy nature reserve in the west of the island nation.

In 2007, Luhrs recorded 18 different males regularly visiting a particular tree to mate with females.

In 2010, only two males were seen.

Luhrs says she believes no more than 30 fossas of either sex now exist in the reserve.

"That is not sufficient for the population to survive without management," she says.

A survey conducted last year in villages surrounding the reserve found people had killed 12 fossas to prevent them from stealing their chickens.

"If the killings continue at such high rates, we have three years left to see fossas in Kirindy," Luhrs says. "There is this fascinating weird creature at the other end of the world and it might soon go extinct."