Fishing cat rescued from pit

BHUBANESWAR:   Forest officials on Wednesday rescued a fishing cat from a pit at a construction site in Nuagaon on the outskirts of the Capital.  City DFO AK Mishra said the cat which fell into the pit was rescued by the forest team with the help of a mini crane and was released immediately into the nearby village forest. Fishing cats are found in the forests of Nuagaon and other villages near Gangua nullah on the outskirts of the city, he added.

“Though a number of fishing cats used to be seen in Bhubaneswar earlier, their number has drastically reduced due to loss of habitat,” said IFS officer Susanta Nanda.  The species has been listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and is threatened by destruction of wetlands.