Wildcats face extinction threat

Visakhapatnam: The vulnerability of the small wildcats is again highlighted after an incident in Paderu where two cubs were caught by a boy from near his house, mistaking them to be domesticated cats, and he fed them with milk. Villagers later identified them as wildcats from the stripe marks and handed them over to the forest staff, to be released to the wild.

Biologist Murthy Kantimahanti of the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society who has been researching on small wildcats on the Andhra Pradesh Range of the Eastern Ghat said, “Due to their declining population, the small cats are now coming under the threatened category in the IUCN list. What’s worrying is that their source population (matu-red and breeding) is also in danger.”

Asked about the reasons why wildcats are straying into human habitats, he said, “Habitat fragmentation being done for various developmental projects and agricultural activities in the forest area are seen as the probable reasons. We have to carry out a specific study to record the population of the species and take steps to mitigate the threats.” Based on the small wildcat species, the reasons threatening their survival could be different. For instance, the habitat for fishing cat is wetlands and the rare rusty-spotted cat is hillocks. The wetland area shrinking has largely affected the fishing cat.

“In 2014, with generous support from the US-ba-sed non-profit organisations like Wild Oasis and Small Wildcat Conservation Foundation etc, we took up a study for setting up remotely triggered wildlife cameras to photo-trap the elusive fishing cat in the unprotected wetland habitats and mangrove forests to understand the pattern of population distribution and take up awareness programmes for the fishing cat conservation,” he said.

He stressed that the rusty-spotted wildcats seen in India and Sri Lanka are also under threat. “Luckily, we can spot some of them in Vizag and nearby forest areas. But, we have to take up measures to protect them.”