The first-ever sighting of West Bengal's state animal, the Fishing Cat, has taken place in West Burdwan, quite by accident. The seemingly historic incident has led to high levels of excitement among nature lovers, wildlife conservationists, forest department officials, and the minister herself.
The Fishing Cat (scientific name Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat, weighing 5 to 15 kg, and is a rare and vulnerable species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. Its existence in the forests of Madhaigunj, about 22 km from Durgapur, was photographically recorded unintentionally during a spotting operation for Indian Grey Wolves, a WWF project being carried out by Wildlife Information and Nature Guide Society (WINGS).
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The Durgapur based NGO had set up trap cameras in several places of the forest area and from one such spot in
Madhaigunj, a female Fishing Cat was spotted. Talking to The Statesman, Arkajyoti Mukherjee of WINGS said this was the first photographic evidence of the species residing in the forests near the coal mines in Madhaigunj under Faridpur Block of Durgapur sub-division. "Though we have traced one adult female, we are sure it is not by itself. We will intensify our watch in the region for more Fishing Cats," he added.
So far, the species, given its name for its talent in hunting fish, have been found in the districts of East Midnapore, Howrah, Nadia, Murshidabad, North and South 24 Parganas and Kolkata as well. Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance has been working since 2010 in the states of West Bengal and Odisha for the world's longest conservation and research project for Fishing Cats.
The discovery has been reported in the reputed international journal, CATnews (Summer edition). This is the newsletter of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. The article, "First photographic record of Fishing Cat in West Burdwan, West Bengal, India", was co-authored by Arkajyoti Mukherjee, Manish Kumar Chattopadhyay, Arnish Bose, Sagar Adhurya, and Divisional
Forest Officer (DFO) of Durgapur, Anupam Khan, former Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Kalyan Das, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) scientists, Kaushik Deuti, Gaurav Dhar Bhowmick.
"Madhaigunj village is dominated by Sal Shorea robusta trees and dry deciduous forestland. The scattered manmade ponds provide crucial water for the wildlife. It can now be said that it is a refuge for both the Indian Grey Wolf and the Fishing Cat," pointed out Kalyan Das.
"This is very big news for wildlife conservation and preservation in West Bengal. Earlier, in the Kotshila Forests of Purulia, a very rare Rusty Spotted cat was traced for the first time in the state. Now, the rare Fishing Cat species has been traced in West Burdwan. We are excited and very happy that the state animal has been detected here, as it proves that, with the increase in forest land, new wild cats, both small and big (leopards) are taking refuge in the forests of South Bengal," said state forest minister Birbaha Hansda.