Fishing Cats

• 25 Jun 2020

Why in News

The Odisha Government has started a two-year conservation project for Fishing Cats in Bhitarkanika National Park.

• Like several other rare species, little is known about fishing cats in the wild.

Key Points

• Scientific Name: Prionailurus viverrinus.
• Description:
  
  • It is twice the size of a house cat.
  • The fishing cat is nocturnal (active at night) and apart from fish also preys on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenges on carcasses of larger animals.
  • The species breed all year round.
  • They spend most of their lives in areas of dense vegetation close to water bodies and are excellent swimmers.
• Habitat: In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.
• Threats:
  
  • Habitat Destruction: A major threat for fishing cats is the destruction of wetlands, their preferred habitat.
  • Shrimp Farming: Shrimp farming is another growing threat to mangrove habitats of the Fishing Cat.
  • Hunting: This unique cat also faces threats from hunting for meat and skin.
  • Ritual Practices: Tribal hunters indulge in ritual hunting practices throughout the year.
  • Poaching: It is also occasionally poached for its skin.
  • Poisoning: Indiscriminate trapping, snaring and poisoning.
• Protection Status:
  
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable. Despite multiple threats, the Fishing Cat was recently downlisted to “Vulnerable” from “Endangered” in the IUCN Red List species assessment.
  • CITES: Appendix II
  • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Conservation Efforts:
  
  • The Fishing Cat Project, launched in 2010 started raising awareness about the Cat in West Bengal.
  • In 2012, the West Bengal government officially declared the Fishing Cat as the State Animal and the Calcutta Zoo has two big enclosures dedicated to them.
  • In Odisha, many NGOs and wildlife conservation Societies are involved in Fishing Cat research and conservation work.

Source: DTE