On the occurrence of the Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus Bennet, 1833 (Carnivora: Felidae) in coastal Kerala, India (original) (raw)
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Proceedings of the Zoological Society
Prionailurus viverrinus, a wetland-dependent lesser cat with globally declining population, is suffering from increasing destruction/conversion of wetlands for various anthropogenic use, poaching, retaliatory killing etc. In India, they prefer to thrive in dense emergent vegetation adjoining different wetlands along the east coast and Gangetic plains. However, surveys determining their distribution range were carried out long ago and, due to various threats they have been decimated from many areas where they used to thrive earlier. This demands for a reassessment of their present status across its reported distribution range. Here we report the presence of fishing cats (through camera trap evidence) for the first time from a human-dominated wetland habitat of Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India. Out of all camera-trap images in the present study (N = 39), majority are of fishing cats Prionailurus viverrinus (25 pictures, 64.10%) followed by golden jackal Canis aureus (12 pictures, 30.76%), and jungle cat Felis chaus (two pictures, 5.12%). None of these wild fauna were recorded during day time. Fishing cats and golden jackals were mostly recorded between 21:01-3:00 h and 18:00-21:00 h respectively. Two images of jungle cats were also captured, one each during 21:01-00:00 h and 00:01-3:00 h. Similar studies in other wetlands within the distributional range of fishing cats will collectively validate their present distribution, which might be useful for in-situ conservation of this elusive vulnerable species. Keywords Fishing cat Á Camera traps Á First report Á Murshidabad Á Human-dominated area Á Conservation Samrat Chakraborty and Souvik Barik these authors have contributed Equally to this work.
The Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus is amongst the most vulnerable and least studied wild cats across its range. Although its occurrence in Odisha, eastern India was reported c. 100 years ago, its current distribution, threats and conservation challenges are still poorly known. A biodiversity inventory performed in multiple parts of Odisha between 2008 and 2018 found the Fishing Cat in 20 new localities. The Fishing Cat distribution is confined to the coastal zone, from mangrove to swamps surrounded by rice fields, aquaculture farms and human habitations up to about 50 m above sea level. Road kill is an immediate threat but can be overcome by installing underpasses and signage on major roads. Wells in Fishing Cat habitats should be fitted with safety walls to avoid trapping. Community awareness of this species' conservation is vital, as most of its habitats fall outside protected areas and are near human habitation. Targeted study of its population status, ecology and threats throughout known and potential localities is necessary to formulate a Fishing Cat conservation plan for Odisha.
New eleveation record of fishing cat occurrence in Odisha eastern India
CATnews, 2021
We report a high elevation record of a fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus from Odisha, eastern India, where most fishing cat occurrences have previously been recorded below 50 m. A fishing cat was rescued from Ghumsur South Forest Division, Odisha, at an elevation of 160 m in January 2020. This record indicates that the species might be more widely distributed in the State than previously thought.
Journal of Threatened Taxa, 2016
Author Contribution: All authors participated in field work. Prava Pandey and Prativa Kaspal were responsible for all aspects of the initial year of study. Iain Taylor and Hem Baral were responsible for project planning and management. Iain Taylor was responsible for the analysis of data and writing the paper. Acknowledgements: This project is funded by the Taronga Foundation, Charles Sturt University and Chicago Zoological Society. We would like to thank Rebecca Spindler, Monique Van Sluys and Jo Wiszniewski of Taronga for their tremendous support and encouragement. Monique Van Sluys provided valuable and constructive comments on the draft.
Proceedings of the Zoological Society, 2017
Lack of scientific information encourages biased understanding on status and distribution of different species. The Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the world's smallest felid endemic to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. As much of its distributional range is falling outside protected area network, it is more vulnerable to loss and degradation of the habitat from anthropogenic activities. So, region specific baseline information is essential to reassess its status. In the present study, based on the Forest Department rescue records, we have reported its wide spread distribution in Odisha, eastern India. So, further targeted study in the identified localities is needed to generate baseline information on its status and ecology to develop appropriate conservation plans for future.
First evidence of fishing cat in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve_Sadhu_Reddy_2013
The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized felid found in south Asia. A large degree of habitat destruction and anthropogenic intervention has caused a severe decline in the fishing cat population including local extinctions of the species in its historical range. A recent camera-trapping survey in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR) revealed the presence of a fishing cat in a dry deciduous forest area. This is the first photographic record of a fishing cat in RTR.
Écoscience, 2020
The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized felid, which uses various habitats including areas adjoining wetlands. This species is listed as 'vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List 2016, Appendix 2 of CITES and under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. In spite of being mired with several threats, studies on fishing cats outside protected areas are scarce in West Bengal, and their confirmed presence has so far been reported only from the Howrah and Hooghly districts. This is the first published account of the presence of fishing cats in human-dominated landscapes of East Medinipur (West Bengal, India) through camera-trap evidence. We have observed that habitat alterations and disturbances associated with the construction of a brick kiln have possibly led to the displacement of fishing cats and other associated wildlife species from the study area. Similar surveys in yet unexplored areas of fishing cat distribution range are needed to identify remaining populations, threats to their survival and to initiate appropriate conservation initiatives. Our findings indicate that current anthropocentric land-use policies need to be reviewed to reduce anthropogenic disturbances and destruction of habitats sustaining fishing cats and other wildlife in human-dominated landscapes.