Sample collection
We utilized two distinct sampling strategies for collecting tissues and
blood. The first strategy involved fresh tissues collected from live
leopard cats captured in Miaoli and Taichung counties from 2017-2020.
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the National
Pingtung University of Science and Technology granted permission for the
capture project (Permit numbers: 106003, 106014, 107041). The second
sampling scheme involved tissues collected from road-killed and rescued
leopard cats from 2002-2021. We obtained 184 samples for our analyses.
The methods for sample preservation and DNA purification are described
in detail in the Supplementary Materials & Methods (SMM).