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In a first,'rusty' caught on camera trap by Thane forest division

Rusties are known to be the world's smallest cat species and considered to be extremely elusive

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A biodiversity survey and camera trapping exercise carried out in two villages — Thitabi and Sonavale, near the famous Malshej ghat — has not only revealed a treasure trove of wildlife species but also provided the first photographic record of the rusty spotted cat from Thane Forest Division. Rusties are known to be the world's smallest cat species and considered to be extremely elusive.

The camera trap image was captured in Thitabi village located in the reserved forest of Tokawade Range on June 14 last year, and the documentation has been published in the Spring 2019 issue of the CAT news, a newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The preliminary survey was carried out by Wildlife biologist Zeenal Vajrinkar from The Corbett Foundation (TCF) along with the Thane forest division in April-May 2018. The report also takes into account the occasional incidents of human-leopard conflict in Tokavade taluka. The report states that frequent incidents of conflict has been reported from 10 villages.

Vajrinkar informed that during the study the camera traps also captured elusive and threatened mammals like Madras tree shrew, mouse deer, ruddy mongoose, and even Indian giant squirrel, which is the state animal of Maharashtra among others.

"These were captured even as the camera traps had been placed for very few days. However, we are sure that long term camera trapping in this area might lead to more discoveries and documentation of species," she added.

Conservationist and director of TCF, Kedar Gore said, "Though very primary, this also happens to be the first of its kind survey carried outside Protected Area (PA) in Thane forest division. It confirms that the entire Tokavade Range along the foothills and the hills of the Sahyadri has a rich biodiversity."

He informed that both the villages connect the forests of Harishchandragarh-Kalsubai Wildlife Sanctuary and some parts of the Western Ghats making it a vital corridor, which helps in dispersal of wildlife. According to him, such a detailed study ascertaining the presence of threatened wildlife outside PA will certainly help protect these areas from future development and infrastructure projects.

"The study shows a rich diversity of mammals and bird species, but these are surely under threat from anthropogenic activities such as firewood cutting, cattle grazing and occasional hunting," said Gore, adding a long term study in areas that are outside PA and a dedicated conservation management plan were the need of the hour.

The study team has also suggested that forest department needs to involve the local community for better management and hence it was vital to promote eco-tourism in this area by developing nature trails and training the locals as nature guides.

Rusty Spotted Cat

  • It’s the World’s smallest cat
  • Listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List
  • Protected under Schedule-I of the In­dian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
  • Little is known of its ecology or local abundance
  • Rusty-spotted cat occurs in moist and dry deciduous forests, tropical thorn forests, arid scrub-lands, rocky areas and hilly areas.
  • Its main diet constitutes of rodents, small birds and possibly small insects, lizards and frogs
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