In search of the elusive and threatened fishing cat
Why in News?
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Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has initiated a GPS collar tracking project in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh (2025), to study habitat use, movement patterns, and human interaction zones of the Fishing Cat.
Overview
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Scientific Name: Prionailurus viverrinus
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Family: Felidae
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IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (downlisted from Endangered)
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CITES: Appendix II
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Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
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State Animal: West Bengal
Physical & Behavioural Features
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Size: ~ Twice the size of a domestic cat; weight 7–12 kg.
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Appearance: Greyish-brown coat with black spots.
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Nocturnal: Primarily active at night.
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Apex Predator in wetland ecosystems.
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Adaptations:
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Partially webbed paws → swimming & mud-walking.
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Dense, water-resistant coat → aquatic survival.
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Protruding claws → grip on slippery fish & surfaces.
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Can swim fully submerged.
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Hunting Behaviour
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50%: Waiting/crouching at water edge.
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5%: Fully submerged hunting.
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In shallow water → moves slowly, flushes fish with paws, grabs with mouth.
Habitat & Distribution
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Wetlands: River floodplains, mangroves, swamps, estuarine floodplains, inland freshwater habitats.
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India: Terai (Himalayas), marshes of Western India, Eastern Ghats, Sundarbans, Coringa & Krishna mangroves (AP), East Coast wetlands.
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Outside India: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.
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Recent Rediscovery: Keoladeo NP, Rajasthan (2025).
Population Highlights
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Chilika Lake, Odisha: ~750 cats in 1,100 sq. km (Fishing Cat Project, 2024) → Healthy due to abundant fish & low conflict.
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Sundarbans: Rapid decline due to habitat loss & human pressures.
Threats
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Habitat Loss & Degradation:
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30–40% of India’s wetlands lost in last four decades.
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Shrimp farming → mangrove destruction.
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Human-Wildlife Conflict:
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Seen as threat to fish ponds & poultry → retaliatory killings.
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Poaching & Ritual Hunting:
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Occasionally hunted for skin.
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Poisoning & Snaring:
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Indiscriminate trapping.
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Encroachment & Urbanisation:
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Conversion of wetlands to agriculture, aquaculture, settlements.
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Conservation Initiatives
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Fishing Cat Project (2010) → Awareness & research in West Bengal.
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Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance (2021) → Mapping in unprotected Eastern Ghats (AP).
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Chilika Development Authority → 5-year action plan for fishing cat conservation.
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State Initiatives:
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West Bengal → Declared State Animal (2012), dedicated enclosures in Calcutta Zoo.
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Odisha NGOs & wildlife societies actively engaged.
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WII Godavari Project (2025):
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GPS collars + GIS mapping → track movement, habitat use, human interaction zones.
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Aim → Data-driven conflict mitigation & habitat protection.
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