Collaring of Fishing Cats

Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) are nocturnal (active at night).
Apart from fish, it also preys on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenges on carcasses of larger animals.
In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.
Despite multiple threats, the Fishing Cat was recently down listed to “Vulnerable” from “Endangered” in the IUCN Red List species assessment.
Fishing cats are listed under CITES: Appendix II and Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
Shrimp farming is a growing threat to mangrove habitats of the Fishing Cats.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII-Dehradun) and the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department are has planned for a maiden exercise of collaring 10 fishing cats in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
The sanctuary is located in the Godavari estuary to study the species’ ecology, home range, and behaviour in different seasons, feeding habits, threats, movements and use of space.
The project aims to capture the fishing cats and collaring them with light weight equipment containing the Geographical Information System.