- In Bangladesh, speedy village growth shrinks wetlands, forcing fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) nearer to people. This triggers human-cat conflicts occurring each two weeks, with over half of them ending in a cat’s dying.
- The primary motive for the killings is concern. Locals usually mistake fishing cats for tigers and really feel threatened. Social stress to take part in killings and revenge for livestock losses (usually brought on by different animals) additional gas the conflicts.
- Despite ongoing threats like infrastructure initiatives that fragment habitats, some hope exists. Government consciousness campaigns and devoted nongovernmental efforts are educating communities and discovering options to advertise peaceable coexistence with fishing cats.
In a quiet village known as Charghikamala in Rajbari district, a tragic story unfolded one evening. Helal, a villager, heard his goat crying out in concern. When he went to examine, he discovered an exquisite creature mendacity nonetheless beneath the moonlight — a fishing cat, with fur like twilight and eyes shining like emeralds.
Helal says he felt unhappy seeing the cat. This wasn’t simply any cat; it was a guardian of the wetlands. Unfortunately, its life ended within the blink of a watch. News of the killed cat unfold quick, turning villagers each curious and fearful.
Helal instructed everybody what had occurred. He had heard his goat crying, noticed one thing shifting in the dead of night within the goat’s neighborhood, and in his panic, he swung his machete. It was all an enormous misunderstanding, he stated. The cat was simply searching for meals, but it surely ended up lifeless as a result of Helal couldn’t perceive it.
This isn’t remoted incident. It’s a part of a much bigger drawback in Bangladesh’s wetlands. As villages develop, the cats’ properties disappear, and so they find yourself nearer to human habitation looking for meals.
A recent survey by Dhaka University’s Zoology Department paints a grim image of Bangladesh’s lesser-known fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus). The examine reveals a worrying frequency of conflicts between people and these elusive creatures: each two weeks, on common.
Between 2016 and 2021, a staggering 361 instances involving fishing cats have been documented nationwide. This interprets to a brand new battle arising each fortnight, highlighting the speedy decline of an already vulnerable species. In complete, the stories comprise 160 fishing cat deaths.
“These conflicts are more than just statistics,” explains Muntasir Akash, a DU zoology tutorial who led the survey. “They signal the breakdown of a fragile ecosystem.”
He attributes most conflicts to the dry season, when shrinking water sources go away fishing cats struggling to search out meals. Habitat loss because of the conversion of wetlands into cities, farms and fishponds additional pushes them towards hazard zones.
“It is further fueled by general intolerance toward fishing cats and any other wildlife,” Akash says, highlighting that almost 50% of reported incidents had been triggered as retaliation-on-sight reactions quite than any precise hurt carried out by the cats.
Despite being recorded in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the precise international vary of the fishing cat stays unclear as a result of unreliable information. Their patchy distribution throughout South and Southeast Asia seemingly displays their dependence on scarce and scattered wetlands within the area, in response to the nonprofit Small Cat Advocacy and Research.
IUCN classified Bangladesh’s fishing cats as endangered in 2015. Despite being widespread, these cats face excessive battle charges in each wetland stronghold. More than 90% of their habitat receives no conservation efforts, in response to researchers.
What is fueling the hearth?
In Bangladesh, a lot focus has been on defending giant carnivores inflicting vital injury, whereas the killings of smaller ones have largely been ignored. Recently, researchers have delved into the puzzling phenomenon of why locals in northeastern Bangladesh had been focusing on fishing cats.
The study has revealed a disconcerting sample: Groups of 10–15 folks, motivated by concern, had been using numerous instruments to kill these felines with none intention to promote their carcasses.
“Unlike other carnivores, fear, not financial gain, motivated these killings,” the examine says.
Jahangirnagar University’s Department of Zoology Professor M.A. Aziz, who additionally co-authored the examine, emphasizes two key elements driving the indiscriminate killing of fishing cats by people: folks’s notion and social obligation.
“Locals often mistake fishing cats for tigers due to their similar appearance and limited awareness within the community,” Aziz explains. “This fear leads to the belief that these cats pose a physical threat, prompting people to kill them.”
“Furthermore, societal pressure plays a significant role,” he notes. “Individuals feel compelled to participate in such killings due to social norms and values.”
He additionally highlights the need for revenge as one other motivation. Interestingly, regardless of fishing cats being blamed, it’s really jackals (Canis aureus) and jungle cats (Felis chaus) that trigger most injury to poultry farms.
“In our study area, many fishing cats were killed by poultry farmers,” he notes. “They use traps baited with chickens to catch and kill the cats almost every night in retaliation for losses in their poultry farms.”
“Moreover, many of these farms are illegally occupying government lands,” he provides, “taking advantage of their proximity to wetlands to raise ducks conveniently.”
Akash highlights one of many latest plights of fishing cats in Bangladesh: Ongoing infrastructure growth initiatives usually overlook environmental issues. “The construction of the Dhaka-Mawa expressway, for example, severely impacted the fishing cat population in Arial Beel, the country’s third-largest freshwater wetland. We observed a significant rise in cat deaths after the highway opened, likely due to them attempting to cross the road.”
He emphasizes the very important position that fishing cats play in sustaining wholesome wetlands. “They are the ambassadors of healthy wetlands,” he says. “Their decline will surely spiral into a cascading effect that will ultimately impact people who rely on healthy wetlands for fishing and agriculture. Bangladesh desperately needs a countrywide conservation program for fishing cats before it is too little too late.”
Mirza Mehedhi Sorowar, a wildlife and biodiversity conservation officer with the Department of Forest, nevertheless, highlights the optimistic impression of the federal government’s consciousness campaigns on defending the nation’s wildlife.
He notes, “There was a time when incidents of fishing cat killings went unreported in the media. Nowadays, aided by easy communication modes, villagers promptly notify us whenever a fishing cat is spotted in their locality.”
Sorowar emphasizes that the discount of wetlands and the decline of indigenous fish in pure water our bodies pose vital challenges for the cats. He urges people, organizations and the media to collaborate in elevating consciousness and addressing these points.
A glimmer of hope
In a difficult state of affairs, there’s nonetheless hope. Hardworking conservationists are learning conflicts and discovering options. Meet Project Fishing Cat Bangladesh, based in 2012, which engages in conservation efforts Baikka Beel in northeast Bangladesh’s Hail Haor Wildlife Sanctuary.
The venture goals to teach locals on the significance of fishing cats, mitigate conflicts and safeguard the species for the long run. They implement revolutionary options comparable to predator-proof enclosures to scale back human-fishing cat conflicts.
“Despite limited resources, our Baikka Beel project is making headway. Locals are increasingly aware of fishing cats’ importance,” says venture chief Sayam U Chowdhury.
“Large-scale government awareness campaigns reaching the grassroots level are crucial,” Chowdhury emphasizes. “People need to understand that fishing cats pose no threat.”
He additional urges the federal government to contemplate implementing environmentally pleasant agricultural practices to make sure the long-term well-being of wildlife.
Another project with Aziz to sort out human-cat battle began in 2017 targets zones in Hakaluki Haor. It explores vegetation buildings to create higher fishing cat habitat and cut back killings. Beyond exploring built-in habitat restoration with flood administration schemes, the venture tackles social norms that tolerate fishing cat killings.
They purpose to raise the worth of those cats via main college schooling and additional surveys to develop significant options. Local communities and college students are becoming a member of the hassle.
“Despite housing the majority of the world’s fishing cats, Bangladesh lacks significant government initiatives for their protection. We must act now to prevent these magnificent creatures from vanishing from our nation,” Aziz warns.
Banner picture: A fishing cat in mangroves. Image by Srichakra Pranav by way of Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Plastic works its means up the meals chain to hit fishing cats, examine exhibits
Citations:
Akash, M., Zakir, T., Saniat, T., & Tabassum, A. (2022, March). A cat out of water: Assessing spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of human-fishing cat battle in Bangladesh from media stories. Poster session introduced at Student Conference on Conservation Science, Cambridge.
Sultana, M., Suzuki, A., Numata, S., Aziz, A., & Palash, A. (2022). The killing of Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett, 1833) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Hakaluki Haor, Bangladesh. Journal of Threatened Taxa. Doi: doi:10.11609/jott.7971.14.10.21903-21917
