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Das, S.K.; Saha, R.; Mukherjee, S.; Danda, A.A.; Borah, J.
First estimates of fishing cat abundance and density in Lothian WS, Sundarbans, India
2017 Cat News (66): 25-27
Estimates of population density are helpful to prioritise investments and assess the effectiveness of conservation interventions for wildlife and their habitat. This paper outlines the first application of systematic camera trapping to estimate density and abundance of fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus in the Lothian Wildlife Sanctuary WS in the Indian Sundarbans. A total of 13 individual fishing cats were identified based on their pelage patterns. Using mark-recapture statistical models, we estimated a population size of 14 ñ 2.5 individuals and a density of 0.44 ñ 0.13 individuals per km2. The activity pattern of fishing cats was mainly crepuscular. The study has established a baseline for the long-term monitoring of fishing cats in the Sundarbans. It is a poorly known threatened felid species and future research is recommended to understand its status, resource use, reproductive biology and home range in a mangrove ecosystem as well as in other forested areas.
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