• World’s first fishing cat census done in Chilika.
• The Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, has 176 fishing cats, according to a 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, which has been conducted outside the protected area network.
• The fishing cat is nocturnal and apart from fish also preys on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenges on carcasses of larger animals.
• The fishing cat is an adept swimmer and enters water frequently to prey on fish.
• It is known to even dive to catch fish.
• It is capable of breeding all year.
• Fishing cats occur in wetlands like marshlands, mangroves and flooded forests in major South and Southeast Asian river basins starting from Indus in Pakistan till Mekong in Vietnam and in the island nations of Sri Lanka and Java.
• They are found in 10 Asian countries but have remained undetected in Vietnam and Java since the last decade.
• 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.
• Protection Status:
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable. Despite multiple threats, the Fishing Cat was recently downlisted to “Vulnerable” from “Endangered” in the IUCN Red List species assessment.
• CITES: Appendix II
• Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Model Question :

Q. With reference to the Fishing Cat, which of the following statements are correct?

1. Fishing cats can be found in major South and Southeast Asian river basins starting from Indus till Mekong in Vietnam.
2. In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans.
3. Chilika Lake in Odisha is the only wetland that does not have the presence of Fishing Cat.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer : A

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