Rajesh Kumar Behera, Kendrapara, Orissa
The villagers of Ganihanmuhan under Barimula Gram panchayat , on Wednesday night , retrieved a 3 feet-long fishing cat at Kendrapada-Indupur road ,which was laying dead on the road ,later the villagers took the endangered dead animal to the village , said forest official sources. According to Uttam Kumar Nayak, a local , while some youths of his village ,including him, were returned to their village on last night at about 11 pm after participating a soft ball floodlight cricket tournament held at Kendrapada town, they came across the wild animal laying dead on the Kendrapada-Indupur road .Believing that the dead animal was a leopard , out of curiosity they took the dead animal to their village .
On Thursday morning , hundreds of locals and the adjoining villagers visited the Ganiamuhan village to see the rare and endangered animal. The locals later informed the matter to the DFO of Cuttack division, as the dead animal was retrieved from the jurisdiction of Cuttack Forest Division. The forest officials of Kendrapada Forest Division ,later, paid a visit and took possession of the fishing cat after the DFO of Cuttack asked the local forest officials to seize the dead fishing cat in order to conduct an autopsy in the local Veterinary office .Later, the autopsy of the fishing cat was held in the local veterinary office at Kendrapara, said Debendra Bai, the Forester of Kendrapada Forest Division. According to Forester , the reason is suspected to be the giant fishing cat might have been died after it was rammed with a speeding truck at the Kendrapada-Indupur road . According to Debendra Bai , the current status of the fishing cat Included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and in Appendix II of CITES. Designated as “vulnerable” in the Red Data Book. Their number in the state is declining due to killing and habitat loss. The Bhitaknaika National park is the home of about hundreds of fishing cat as it provides congenial atmosphere for the species .The recent sight of the dead fishing cat is said to be a big fishing cat . Of the 11 species of small cats in India, six species are known to occur in Orissa. Each sanctuary has one or more species of small cats. BhitarkanikaNational park has three species of small cats each, namely the Leopard cat, Fishing cat and Jungle cat.. The fishing cat is strongly associated with wetlands. It is typically found in swamps and marshy areas, oxbow lakes, reed beds, tidal creeks and mangrove areas.Young fishing cats become independent at the age of 10 months.The fishing cat lives an average of 12 years, but it has been known to live more than 15 years in captivity, said Bai . Fish are the most frequent prey of the fishing cat. Other water-associated prey include crabs, molluscs, and frogs. The fishing cat also feeds rats, civets, fawns, wild pigs, goats, calves and dogs,snakes, lizards ,skinks and birds. The fishing cat is a nocturnal hunter. It is very much at home in the water. It is a strong swimmer, even in deep water, and it can swim long distances. The fishing cat has been observed to dive into water after fish, as well as to crouch on a rock or sandbank near the water and swat the fish out onto dry land with its paw. It has even been seen to catch waterfowl by swimming up to them while fully submerged and seizing their legs from underneath,said official sources Wetland destruction is the primary threat faced by the fishing cat. Causes of this destruction include human settlement, draining for agriculture, construction of aquaculture facilities, and wood-cutting. High use of pesticides in rice fields and fishponds results in adverse impacts, since the harmful chemical residues can enter aquatic food chains and affect top predators such as the fishing cat. Destructive fishing practices have also greatly reduced the fishing cat’s main prey base. The fishing cat is hunted because it is considered edible and its skin is still valued by the fur trade, said Bai, the Forester.
