The Wildlife Institute of India-Dehradun is preparing to execute India’s first Fishing Cat Collaring Project at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
Key Highlights of the Project:
- Objective: Understand the fishing cat’s home range, behaviour, habitat ecology, feeding habits, and space use.
- Duration: Three years.
- Location: Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
About Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is part of the Godavari estuary in Andhra Pradesh, where the Coringa River meets the Bay of Bengal.
- Ecological Importance: India’s second-largest mangrove ecosystem.
- Biodiversity: Supports rich flora and fauna, including the endangered fishing cat.
- Population Insights:
- In 2018, a survey recorded 115 fishing cats.
- Numbers have reportedly increased, supported by frequent sightings.
Fishing Cat Characteristics and Habitat:
- Size: About twice the size of a domestic cat.
- Activity Pattern: Mostly nocturnal.
- Preferred Habitat: Wetlands, such as marshes, mangroves, rivers, oxbow lakes, and reed beds.
- It is capable of breeding all year round but in India its peak breeding season is known to be between March and May.
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
- Geographical Range in India:
- Mangrove forests of the Sundarbans.
- Foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys.
- Western Ghats.
- Mangroves of Andhra Pradesh, particularly at Coringa and Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary.
