Survey to enumerate state animal 'baghrol' in Bengal next year

The forest department will undertake a survey to find out the population of state animal 'baghrol' or the fishing cat in West Bengal to preserve their population, an official said on Wednesday.

There have been several reports of killing of fishing cats by locals in Howrah and Hooghly districts in the past even before the department could act on, the official said.

At times due to the stripes on their bodies, the wild cats were mistaken as tigers, especially during dusk, and killed. Their existence is facing a threat and it is aggravated by the rapid urbanisation.

The fishing cat has been listed as vulnerable in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is placed under the Schedule I species of the Wildlife Protection Act. The survey, the first of its kind by the state, will seek to count the 'baghrol' population and suggest steps to conserve them, a forest official told PTI.

Fishing cats are seen in semi-urban and rural pockets of North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts, on the banks of water bodies and in bushes.

''Due to ignorance among the public, these animals are killed at times,'' the official said.

''We've to stop that and ensure that the species does not become endangered,'' the official said, underscoring the importance of 'baghrol' to save the state's rich biodiversity.

The survey will be conducted in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and will begin by March.

In the project, there will be breeding among the fishing cats of the zoo also and the baby will be released in the habitat sometimes after birth.

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