Context: India is home to 15 species of the cat family (Felidae). Smaller wild cats like the Fishing Cat remain lesser-known yet ecologically significant. The species faces growing threats from habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict, particularly due to the degradation of wetlands.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Fishing Cat.
Fishing Cat
- Description: An elusive nocturnal cat, twice the size of the domestic cat. It weighs 7-12 kgs, and has a greyish brown fur lined with black spots.
- Behaviour:
- In its territory, this cat is often the apex predator meaning no other creature preys on it.
- The diet is primarily fish; it also hunts on rodents, chickens, small animals.
- Well adapted to water with webbed paws, a waterproof coat, ability to swim underwater, and claws that stay out to help grip mud and catch fish.
- Habitat: Wetlands i.e., river floodplains, mangroves, marshes, swamps.
- Distribution in India: Terai region, marshes of western India, Sundarbans, East coast, Chilika Lake (Odisha), Sri Lanka; rediscovered in Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan).
- The fishing cat spends 50% of its hunting time standing, sitting or crouching near the edge of water. Barely 5% of hunting time is spent submerged in water.
Protection Status:
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
- CITES: Appendix II (trade regulated to avoid threats to survival)
- Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I (the highest level of legal protection in India)
Fishing cat numbers are rapidly declining in the Sundarbans and were once thought extinct in Rajasthan until recent sightings in Keoladeo National Park.
Factors responsible for Decline:
- Habitat loss: The decline is largely on account of habitat loss. It has been estimated that 30-40% of India’s wetlands have been lost or severely degraded in the last four decades. Protecting wetland ecosystems is therefore crucial for the fishing cat.
- Human encroachment on wetlands and revenge killings of cats by humans.
Scientific Research & Monitoring:
- Fishing Cat Project (Tiasa Adhya): Extensive surveys, community engagement.
- Wildlife Institute of India’s Godavari Estuary Project: GPS collar tracking in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (Andhra Pradesh) to map habitat use and human interaction zones.
- Community-Based Conservation: Awareness campaigns to reduce animosity and promote co-existence.