Discovery Through a Viral Video
Wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir was unaware of the significance of his footage when he uploaded an 18-second video in 2017 showing a small, pale cat digging a hollow in the sand within the remote dunes of south-west Libya. This brief clip ultimately became the first concrete evidence confirming the presence of the sand cat (Felis margarita) in Libya, a species uniquely adapted to true desert conditions.
“When I posted it, nobody believed it had been filmed in Libya,”Almuntasir said.
“Everyone denied it, but I kept insisting that the cat is here, in several places; one of them was only 70km (43 miles) from Zintan, where I live.”
Nearly ten years later, accumulating evidence indicates that the sand cat is not only present but that south-western Libya may be a previously unrecognized stronghold for this elusive species. Comparable in size to a domestic cat, its sandy color camouflages it perfectly in its desert habitat, earning it the nickname “ghost of the desert.”
Scientific Collaboration and Research Challenges
Although Almuntasir did not actively promote his video, it attracted attention from numerous researchers over time, including Hayder Elhadi, a postdoctoral researcher at Sol Plaatje University in South Africa. The two connected and decided to collaborate on documenting the sand cat’s presence in Libya and formally registering it among the country’s wildlife species.
Libya’s south-west is among the least studied terrestrial environments in North Africa. Hayder had reviewed all scientific literature mentioning the sand cat in Libya and found no verified evidence or precise location data.
“When I asked Mohammed where he had seen the cat, he told me he had observed it in multiple areas,”Hayder said.
“That was what surprised me.”
The region lacks protected areas, camera trap infrastructure, trained field teams, and a central authority to coordinate research efforts. Additionally, smuggling networks operating across Libya’s porous borders with Algeria, Niger, and Chad make fieldwork hazardous.
“The south-western regions of Libya are active with smuggling networks, so they are not safe,”Almuntasir explained.
“On one occasion we came under gunfire during one of our trips, which forced us to leave the area quickly.”
Remote Collaboration and Fieldwork
Following their initial contact, Hayder and Almuntasir engaged in an eight-year collaboration, primarily conducted remotely. Hayder instructed Almuntasir on field research techniques from South Africa, including recording GPS coordinates and documenting sightings with photographs or video.
“I taught Mohammed the field research methods from South Africa – how to record GPS coordinates, how to document each sighting with photographs or video,”Hayder said.
“He applied all of that across the south-western desert, collecting testimony from local Tuareg communities who know the terrain intimately.”
Almuntasir, raised in the Nafusa mountains where locals are familiar with Hamada al Hamra—a vast rocky desert plateau in south-western Libya—joined local hunters on their expeditions, carrying a camera instead of a rifle.
“They would tell me about places where they had seen the sand cat and record the coordinates, and I would compile them all to plan a dedicated trip to visit each location,”he said.
In some instances, Almuntasir and his guides tracked paw prints for days to locate burrows, then camped nearby to observe the animals’ emergence.
Published Findings and Ecological Significance
Their research, published in the Journal of Arid Environments in February 2026, documents sand cat presence at 13 sites across the Libyan Sahara, as well as the Saharan striped polecat at eight new locations, seven of which lie outside the species’ recognized IUCN range. Notably, 15 of 36 sand cat sightings were concentrated in Wadi Armet, an isolated valley approximately 1,000km south-west of Tripoli.
“This valley is incredibly vast,”Almuntasir said.
“More than half of it remains unexplored because of how rugged the terrain is. Animals migrate there in summer because of the water. Many of them come from the Tassili n’Ajjer reserve on the other side of the Algerian border.”
The findings suggest that the sand cat is more widespread and in better condition in Libya than previously believed, positioning the country’s south-west as a critical refuge for desert-adapted species. The sand cat is among several threatened species in the region, including the cheetah, dama gazelle, and sand gerbil.
“There has always been a large question mark over Libya because of the scarcity of studies and surveys,”Ibrahim Elkahwage, head of the Libyan Wildlife Trust and the Libyan IUCN committee, told .
“This research is an important contribution that could help reveal the enormous biodiversity hidden in the Libyan Sahara.”
Conservation Concerns and Future Efforts
Despite these positive findings, researchers also documented instances of sand cats being sold as pets in local markets and cases where hunters accidentally killed them.
Sand cats primarily feed on rodents such as jerboas, as well as venomous snakes and scorpions, playing a vital role in preventing cascading damage to the limited vegetation that sustains desert ecosystems.
“All Libyans should be involved in conservation efforts,”Hayder emphasized.
“They need to feel a sense of responsibility, that these species represent their environment and represent their country.”
This story was produced in collaboration with .
