Uniindia: Bhubaneswar, June 5 (UNI) As many as 176 fishing cats were found in the Chilka lake, during the world’s first population estimation of the fishing cat conducted outside the protected area network.
Wetland in Howrah to shelter fishing cats Enclosure to educate people about habitat of Bengal’s state animal
A mini-wetland is coming up inside a park in Howrah to provide a home for rescued fishing cats.
The enclosure, carved out of a portion of land at Garchumuk Deer Park in Uluberia, around 60km from the heart of Calcutta, is fenced by a mesh of steel wires.
Bamboo shoots have been planted inside the enclosure. An artificial shallow water body has been dug. Tall reeds like khori (Saccharum narenga) and hogla (Typha elephantina and Typha domingensis) will be planted there.
Two pairs of fishing cats, rescued from Howrah, have been just released into the open enclosure, said a forest official in Howrah.
Wed 17 Feb 2021 05.30 EST
Last modified on Mon 1 Mar 2021 05.35 EST
For more than a decade, wildlife biologist Tiasa Adhya has spent many a day in the wetlands and mangroves of the Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha, looking for signs of a rarely seen wild cat – the fishing cat
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“Fishing cats are fascinating animals,” she says. “They have co-inhabited riverine deltas and floodplains alongside humans for centuries. Ancient cultures like the Khmer empire show evidence of fishing cats.” As co-founder of the world’s longest-running fishing cat research and conservation project, Kolkata-based Adhya is dedicated to this endangered felid, one of the least-studied and understood wildcats.