Punjab: Wildlife enthusiasts thrilled over discovery of Indian Fishing Cat at Hoshiarpur farm
Ripples of exhilaration have run through wildlife enthusiasts in the state with the discovery of kittens of the ‘endangered’ Indian Fishing Cat (prionailurus viverrinus) at a nondescript farm bordering a forest in Hoshiarpur. Punjab is an unlikely area for the Indian Fishing Cat to be spotted, as it feeds primarily on amphibians — fish and snakes, insects and also birds. More likely to be found in vast marshy areas, swamplands, wetlands and the coastal deltas, the Fishing Cat isn’t commonly known to inhabit Punjab.
The last time it was spotted in the state was seven to eight years ago.
The Indian Fishing Cat has been classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the Red List of Threatened Species issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild due to habitat loss, degradation and other threats.
Three kittens of the Fishing Cat were spotted at a farm bordering a forest at a village on the intersection of the Hoshiarpur and Rupnagar districts. Discovered near a water body — about a fortnight ago (April end) — the activists guarded the secret for days to facilitate the movement of the animal into a safer area.
In India, Fishing Cats primarily inhabit the Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra floodplains with West Bengal’s wetlands (Sunderbans) deemed the best habitats for it.
A village sarpanch and wildlife activists’ wisdom came in handy to save the kittens, which otherwise may have been susceptible to be targeted by villagers.
Over 100 villagers gathered at the said farm recently as word spread that leopard cubs have been discovered.
However, the village sarpanch intervened and got the villagers dispersed after which pictures of the animal were sent to a wildlife activist, who confirmed that these were the kittens of a fishing cat and not leopard cubs.
Gaurav Rana, social activist said, “The said farm has a water body bordering the forest which is often used by animals, especially in this season. Three kittens were found near this water body. Everyone got worked up as villagers earlier thought they were leopard cubs. We were almost planning to feed them milk. But wildlife activist Nikhil Senger confirmed that these were Indian Fishing Cats and should be fed nothing other than cereal mixed with water. We were asked to place them back where they were found — feed them cerelac diluted with water for the night and leave them.”
Rana said labourers stood watch at a safe distance for hours, to oversee the kittens were not attacked, and around 2 am, the mother of the cubs took them away.
Wildlife conservationist and former Honorary Wildlife Warden, Nawanshahr, Nikhil Senger said, “Fishing Cat kittens were last found seven to eight years ago, those too were at a farm near a pond. After that, this is the first time they have been seen in Punjab. Our entire purpose was to ensure the kittens are reunited with the mother as they are bred on a wetland diet and wouldn’t have survived on a farm. This is a very heartening discovery, which gives hope, especially given the stress on wildlife habitats and the status of the fishing cat in India. This also means we have to learn more about the biodiversity in the region to aide better sustainability.”
