Time to collar the cat

With the second fishing cats census expected to be completed within a few weeks, the Wildlife Institute of India-Dehradun is preparing to execute India’s first Fishing Cat Collaring Project at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary where the endangered species is said to be thriving

Spreads across 235 square kilometres, the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), India’s second-largest mangroves, is home to the endangered fishing cat, Prionailurus viverrinus.

The sanctuary is part of the Godavari estuary, where the Coringa river confluences into the Bay of Bengal in the Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh.

By 2018, the population of fishing cats was 115, as per the first survey of fishing cats. The number, however, has increased significantly over the past five years, given the frequency of sightings of the species recorded across and near the sanctuary.

Coringa Wildlife Ranger S.S.R. Vara Prasad told The Hindu that the rise in the population of the fishing cats in the sanctuary can be attributed to the healthy mangrove ecosystem, which is being conserved by the local communities.

As many as 420 locals have been formed into the Environment Development Committee (EDC), which is tasked with monitoring and conserving the sanctuary and operating the Community-Based Eco-Tourism (CBET) facilities for an alternative livelihood.

“The Coringa lighthouse point is one of the safest habitats where the number of fishing cats is growing significantly. fishing cats’ movements have been recorded on the boardwalk at the lighthouse,” claims Mr. Vara Prasad.

It is interesting to note that in Andhra Pradesh, Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Krishna estuarine forest area, is another place where these endangered cat species live.