RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Fishing cat, one of the endangered species at the global level, has been spotted time and again at the Coringa wildlife sanctuary near Kakinada. Popularly known as ‘Neeti Pilli’ in the local parlance, the fishing cat is just double the size of domestic cat, it strongly prefers wetlands and most commonly lives in swamps and marshy areas. The researchers found that the population of fishing cats has been reduced by 50 per cent at the global level owing to fast destruction of the wetlands due to construction of fishponds, coastal erosion etc.
The villagers abutting the Coringa mangroves have now stopped killing the fishing cats that are habituated to intrude into the residential areas in search of food.Coringa wildlife sanctuary is one of the rarest eco-regions of with vast tracts of pristine mangrove forests. An endangered species under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the fishing cat has long been poached for its skin and meat. There is no population estimate of the species, which makes it difficult to gauge how many of them survive in the wild.
Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is trying to increase awareness and infuse a sense of pride that the animal lives in their midst. The department is will start working on cat census for nearly a month, starting from June 8. The officials are installing cameras to track and capture the movements of the fishing cats. Training-cum-orientation programme will be held for frontline staff of Forest Department, local fishermen and volunteers for this exercise.
DFO, Wild Life Ananth Sankar said that the fishing cat resembles the panther, and is the size of the average street dog, with black patches on its body and long whiskers. It growls like a tiger; its eyes shine like torchlight and it’s not afraid of humans.He said that sustained efforts were made to sensitise people on the conservation of the fishing cat. It seems the campaign to save fishing cats has managed to infuse a sense of pride in villagers.
Coringa Sanctuary has own mascot
‘Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary,’ has got its own mascot. This mascot would help create its own identity in the global arena and represent the elusive species that dwell in these mangrove forests near the Kakinada coast. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P Mallikarjuna Rao unveiled the ‘Macha-The Fishing Cat’ logo in March this year. Coringa was the first sanctuary in the state that has a mascot.