First scientific assessment establishes Kaziranga as a fishing cat stronghold

GUWAHATI The first scientific assessment of the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) has established Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve as a stronghold of the small feline species.

The study of the globally vulnerable fishing cat, protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, was based on camera-trap images available from all-India tiger estimation data. It was conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in collaboration with Tiasa Adhya, a scientist with the Fishing Cat Project.

Officials said that the study was conducted to determine if fishing cats are rare or common in Kaziranga, better known as a one-horned rhino domain, and to estimate the minimum number of individuals present. The report was published on February 22, observed as Fishing Cat Day.

“A total of 57 unique individuals were identified across more than 450 sq. km. This indicated a healthy, reproducing population widely distributed throughout the tiger reserve,” a note on the study read. It added that the estimate could be an undercount, as the data were based on camera trap grid size placed for tigers.

Citing the study, Assam’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the fishing cat, called Meseka in Assamese, features in folktales to symbolise a healthy ecosystem. “The number of this cat recorded in Kaziranga is one of the highest ever in floodplain ecosystems,” he said.

The collage is from camera traps during tiger estimation.
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

“Our findings position Kaziranga as a vital ark for this wetland specialist in the Brahmaputra floodplains,” said Sonali Ghosh, the Director of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve.

Critical wetland carnivore

Data compiled under the Fishing Cat Project show that Kaziranga has the highest population (at least 57) of the carnivore in the Terai floodplain, followed by Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhwa National Park (both in Uttar Pradesh) with populations ranging from 35 to 51.

The other major freshwater fishing cat habitats by population are Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand (14-17), Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in U.P. (12-14), and Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar (6-7).

Among the estuarine habitats of the fishing cat, Sunderban Tiger Reserve in West Bengal leads with an estimated population of 385, followed by Chilika Lagoon in Odisha (341), Bhitarkanika National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha (83-115), and Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh (95-100).

The fishing cat, one of the few felids adapted for aquatic hunting, faces threats from habitat loss and hunting. With disappearances noted in Vietnam and Java, South Asia holds its global core population, tied to wetlands in lowland river basins.

Optimal habitats include wet alluvial grasslands, shallow beels (wetlands), wet meadows, and woodland refugia that aid flood survival

“Tracking wetland carnivores like the fishing cat is essential amid climate change and river modifications impacting freshwater biodiversity,” said Ian Harrison, co-chair of IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee.

IUCN SSC expands to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission.