World's 1st Fishing Cat Survey Pegs Its Population At Chilika Lake At 176
NDTV
Chilika Lake: Unlike most felines, fishing cats love water and are known for their expert hunting skills in aquatic habitats
A new survey at the Chilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon in Odisha, has provided the world's first population estimation of the fishing cat. Conducted outside the protected area by the Chilika Development Authority in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP), the survey stated that the lake has 176 fishing cats.
This is the world's longest-running research and conservation project on fishing cats. It began in 2010 and is currently underway in two states in India: West Bengal and Odisha. West Bengal declared fishing cats the state animal in 2012. And the Chilika authorities announced in 2020 that the fishing cat was the lake's ambassador, according to The Fishing Cat Project.
The Fishing Cat Project conducted the census in two phases. For the first phase in 2021, surveyors focussed on the 115 sq. km marshland in the north and north-eastern section of the lake. The second phase was conducted this year on the Parikud side along the coastal part, according to a report in The Hindu.
The report cited a statement from the Chilika Development Authority to say that 10 cameras were installed for the two phases, with each of them fixed in the field for 30 days.