3 fishing cat cubs spotted near Karad
Three cubs of the endangered Indian fishing cat were found in a sugar field in Yenke village in Karad taluka on Monday.
Three cubs of the endangered Indian fishing cat were found in a sugar field in Yenke village in Karad taluka on Monday.
Members of Creative Nature Friends, Nana Khamkar and Rohan Bhate, who found the cubs, alerted the range forest officer, Bharat Patil. The cubs, two of which are female, have been kept under supervision in the same locality. Pug marks of an adult female have been also found in the same area.
The Indian fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is twice the size of a typical house cat, and weighs between 5 and 16 kg. They largely feed on fish and are very good swimmers. “They are even known to dive to catch fish. They also feed on frogs, birds and carcasses,” Bhate said. The wetlands are the favourite habitats of this cat.The locality where these cubs were found is close to the Koyna river.