1-metre-long civet cat spotted roaming at Hong Kong shopping centre

SCMP | April 20, 2025, 11:24 p.m. | Original

Security personnel at the IFC Mall reported spotting a civet on the premises. Photo: Handout

A civet cat, a species native to Hong Kong that occasionally appears in urban areas, has been spotted at a shopping centre in Central.

In an online video, the cat is seen walking back and forth on glass curtain wall supports and, sometimes, stretching its head out to look around.

Police said that staff members at the International Finance Centre reported seeing the one-metre-long (3.2-foot) cat on the premises at 7am on Monday.

Police, the Fire Services Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were called to the scene, according to the force.

The animal spotted near the ceiling and escalators was rescued and handed to the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Tai Po.

The cat has been handed to the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden after it was rescued. Photo: Handout
The cat has been handed to the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden after it was rescued. Photo: Handout

According to the conservation department, civet cats are protected wild animals in Hong Kong.

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