The origins and current status of the Malabar large-spotted civet are controversial because it was nocturnal and elusive. Some people believe that this civet was brought to the Malabar region as part of the trade center there, and the civets established a local population which eventually died out. Most scientists think it was a unique species. Even though it is currently listed as "critically endangered with a population less than 200", there has not been a confirmed sighting since 1987 (which is the extinction date I have listed). There are many reasons for its population decline. The biggest impacts are the clearing of forests and the encroachment of people. Many wild civets were hunted to be sold at trading centers or raised to extract civetone, a chemical used in perfumes and medicines. The Asian palm civet is raised to eat coffee beans and those digested beans are used to make the world's most expensive coffee, civet coffee, which can cost $100 a cup. This Malabar large-spotted civet could be found throughout the lowland forests and even up into the higher elevations. It was considered abundant in Travancore. Much of the forests in the Malabar large-spotted civet’s home range were cut down by the 1960's for cashew and rubber plantations. Many thought it was extinct at that point. The last confirmed sighting was in Kerala in 1987 though other sightings were reported. There were many expeditions led into the remaining forests in the 1990's and as recently as 2014 with no results. A viral video in 2020 during the Covid lockdown on Kerala Road in India sparked hope that it had survived. Further study of the video showed the civet in the video was not the lost Malabar large-spotted civet, but the video showed a small Indian civet instead. The Malabar large-spotted civet has not been officially "declared extinct", but most evidence points to that conclusion. Could the Malabar large-spotted civet live in India today? Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Malabar large-spotted civet might be a good candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from museum specimens or skins to use to try to bring them back to life. If the Malabar large-spotted civet was brought back, it would still have to deal with the environmental factors facing India. India's current population of 1.4 billion continues to expand and utilize more resources. Many endangered species are still taken from the wild and sold at the public markets. If the Malabar large-spotted civet did return to the Malabar region of India, it might not be able to survive, leaving it to live in zoos.