I visited Kalbansh, a remote village near Kolkata in Howrah district to study and photograph Fishing Cats.The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) was declared the state animal of West Bengal, India in 2012. It is, locally known as Baghrol or Macchbagha, meaning fish-eating tiger. A nocturnal creature of the wetlands; Fishing Cat is a territorial animal. Males occupy territory of 6.2 to 8.5 square miles and females 1.5 to 2.3 square miles. They mark their territories with urine.
As the name implies, fish is the main prey of this cat. It also hunts other aquatic animals such as frogs or crayfish, and terrestrial animals such as rodents and birds. Similar to other mammals living in semi-aquatic environments, the inter digital webs on its paws help the cat gain better traction in muddy terrain and water.
Experts in the aquatic environment, Fishing Cats are unlike many other cats. Going against the feline stereotype, Fishing Cats are at home in the water and hunt in the water.
One of the most unique features of a Fishing Cat is its wicking coat. Their coats are comprised of two layers. One layer is very short and dense, which keeps the cat warm and dry during their time spent in the water.
During the expedition, we would go around the area at night in a modified autorickshaw locally called Toto and used to cover about 20-30 square kms across 10-12 villages in search for Fishing Cats every night.
During our search we managed to record and photograph seven different specimens of these cats. In India for instance, Fishing Cats have been recorded in wetland areas in Rajasthan, including the Bharatpur bird sanctuary, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and Corbett National Park and Sundarbans in West Bengal. Despite widespread presence, ecologists and forest departments alike have been slow to study the species.
The global population is severely under threat as it is thought that nearly 50% of their specific wetland habitats are under threat from increasing levels of Human activity throughout much of its natural range.
The greatest threat to the Fishing Cat is habitat loss. The government’s policy of treating wetlands as wastelands is causing a grave threat to its survival. The frantic frenzy of development projects is also destroying many of its prime habitats.
Lot of conservation and awareness programs are going on which actively involves local population. In West Bengal, a group of local people is also attempting to compensate villagers for fish losses to Fishing Cats with small fry and fingerlings. The Fishing Cat is endangered due to its dependence on wetlands, which are increasingly being settled and converted for industry, and also due to human over-exploitation of local fish stocks. It is believed extirpated in Afghanistan, it may already be gone from Malaysia and China, and has become rare throughout its remaining distribution.
Although little is really known about their breeding or social behaviour in the wild, mating is thought to take place in January and February when a female Fishing Cat will call to males in the area, indicating that she is ready to mate.
After a gestation period that lasts for between 60 and 70 days, she gives birth to one to four kittens.
