News Highlights
World’s first fishing cat census done in Chilika lake.
Focus Points
- Census Conducted by – Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with the Fishing Cat Project (TFCP)
- This is the world’s first population estimation of the fishing cat done outside the protected area network.
- The census found 176 fishing cats in the region.
- Phases of Census
- Phase 1 – phase 1 of the estimation was conducted in 2021 in the 115 sq.km marshland in the north and northeastern section of Chilika and its surrounding areas
- Phase 2 – . Phase 2 was conducted in 2022 in the Parikud side along the coastal islands of Chilika.
- Technique used for survey
- Spatially explicit capture recapture method was used to analyse the data.
- Community Participation
- The census involve the participation of local fishermen and villagers of Chilika
Fishing Cats
- Descriptions
- It’s twice as big as a domestic cat.
- The fishing cat is nocturnal
- Prey – frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenges on carcasses of larger animals.
- Breading – All year around
- Habitats
- India
- Mangroves of Sunderbans
- Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys
- Western Ghats
- World
- Indus in Pakistan
- Mekong in Vietnam
- Sri Lanka
- Java
- India
- Threats
- Habitat Destruction
- Hunting
- Poisoning
- Protection Status
- IUCN Red List – Vulnerable
- CITES – Appendix II
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – Schedule I
Chilika Lake
- Chilika Lake is a brackish water lake and a shallow lagoon
- Location – Puri, Khurda and Ganjam in the state of Odisha
- Associated River – Daya River
- largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl
- Associated Species – vulnerable Olive Ridley turtles and Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins
- Kalijai Temple – Located on an island in the Chilika Lake.
Content Source : The Hindu