Civet trapped in deadly snare rescued

NEW DELHI:  An Asian Palm Civet was rescued from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) after it was found trapped in a deadly snare.  On Wednesday, the security staff at JNU stumbled upon a civet cat trapped near the boundary wall of the university’s north gate. A deadly metal snare was tangled around the helpless animal’s lower abdomen. To make matters worse, the cable was coiled around a branch, making it difficult for the civet to even move.

The authorities contacted NGO Wildlife SOS, which cut through the snare before it could cause severe internal damage in the animal.The Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), also called toddy cat, is a small member of the family Viverridae, native to South and Southeast Asia. Civet cats play a key role in the ecosystem by controlling the rodent population, and help disperse seeds as they often feed on fruits, berries, coffee beans, insects and small mammals.

Wasim Akram, manager, Special Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “We are extremely grateful to the JNU security and management staff for the early intimation to Wildlife SOS, which helped save the civet’s life. Use of such lethal hunting devices against innocent animals is an appalling and heinous crime.

Animals caught in such snares are often left struggling for hours, and in some cases die of thirst, hunger and strangulation. It is one of the cruellest human-induced threats to wildlife, and it is utterly distressing to imagine millions of animals falling victim to such barbaric devices.”