Three incidental sightings of the flat-headed cat Pnonailurus planiceps, a little-known species, were made in south-east Sumatra. Sightings were on lowland floodplains in two distinct habitats, primary peat swamp forest and secondary lowland forest, the latter suggesting some tolerance to modified habitats. Sightings were along or near waterways. A dead adult male found in Berbak National Park is the first confirmed record for the park. Morphometrics of this individual were consistent with other published measurements for the species. Museum specimens indicate a wide historic distribution in south-east Sumatra. Recent information confirms the species's presence in protected areas of eastern, southern and western Sumatra, although this is mostly limited to presence/absence data, and the conservation status and habitat requirements of the species in south-east Sumatra are unknown. Regional degradation of riparian habitats and the isolation of protected areas warrant concern for the conservation status of the species.

A new breeding site of the globally threatened Chinese egret Egretta eulophotes was recorded on Furugelm Island in the summer of 1998. The discovery of this colony moves the breeding limit of the species more than 600 km further to the north-east in the Sea of Japan. Thirty to forty pairs of Chinese egrets were discovered on the island, which is also home to thousands of colonial seabirds as well. The egret's colony is within the Far-Eastern Marine Reserve but some of its main foraging sites lie outside the protected area and are disturbed by both tourists and hunters. More worryingly, however, the main threat to the Chinese egret's survival is a new economic development project: the Tumen River Area Development Program. We make an urgent plea for the protection of the Chinese egrets' foraging areas within the Far-Eastern Marine Reserve and recommend that a transfrontier reserve be created to enhance the protection of this important waterbird site.