Endangered Species: ‘Fishing Cat’

  • IASbaba
  • August 15, 2020
  • 0
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Endangered Species: ‘Fishing Cat’

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Conservation; Endangered Species; Biodiversity

Context:

  • Efforts are being made to begin the country’s maiden exercise of collaring 10 fishing cats in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Experts to study the species’ ecology, home range, behaviour in different seasons, feeding habits, threats, movements and use of space.

Important Value Additions:

Fishing cat

  • Fish cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is mammal double the size of domestic cat which is a native to wetlands, swamps and marshy areas.
  • Rapid depletion of wetland is posing a threat to the animal on a global scale and India is no exception. 
  • Fish cat has been designated as ‘vulnerable’ in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary:

  • It is a wildlife sanctuary and estuary situated in Andhra Pradesh.
  • The sanctuary is a part of the Godavari estuary and has extensive mangrove and dry deciduous tropical forest.
  • It is the second largest stretch of mangrove forests in India (after Sundarbans).
  • It is home to the critically endangered white-backed vulture and the long-billed vulture.
  • Its main wildlife attractions are Golden Jackal, Sea turtle, Fishing cat, Estuarine Crocodile, Small Blue Kingfisher, Cattle Egret.
  • Hope Island and Sacramento Island located in the mangrove region are two important nesting sites for the endangered Olive Ridley turtles.

Do you know?

  • The Andhra Pradesh government has begun the process to get UNESCO world heritage status for Godavari Mangroves at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.

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