India Fishing Cats Wildlife Photography Expedition

India Fishing Cats Wildlife Photography Expedition

Guided photographic tours to India with Wildlife Photographer Paul McDougall.

Photograph Fishing Cats in India

 
Approximately 2 hours away from the thriving busy city of Kolkata you will find one of the best places in the world to view and photograph Fishing Cats.

The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. It has a deep yellowish-grey fur with black lines and spots. Adults have a head-to-body length of 57 to 78 cm (22 to 31 in), with a 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) long tail. Males are larger than females, weighing 8 to 17 kg (18 to 37 lb), while females average 5 to 9 kg (11 to 20 lb). It lives mostly in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps and mangroves where it preys mostly on fish. Other prey items include birds, insects, small rodents, molluscs, reptiles including snakes, amphibians and carrion of cattle. The fishing cat is thought to be primarily nocturnal. It is a good swimmer and can swim long distances, even underwater.

The fishing cat has been listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2016, as the global population is thought to have declined by about 30% in the past three fishing cat generations during the period 2010–2015. The destruction of wetlands and killing by local people are the major threats throughout its range. It is the state animal of West Bengal.

The name Baghrol Basa– Baghrol means Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Bengali language and Basa meaning nest or house. Baghrol Basa homestay is a Research and Conservation project dedicated to the Fishing Cats which is funded by sustainable Fishing cat tourism. These cats are specially adapted to a life in the watery, swampy environment.

Fishing cats are one of the least understood wildcats and very little is known about the habits and the behaviour of the fishing cats. Wetlands in India where the fishing cats live are densely populated and millions of people depend on these areas for their livelihoods.

Fish and prawn farms, agriculture, fishing and human settlements are common in these areas. It is quite remarkable that the fishing cat continues to live in these areas in spite of all the human activities.

A high density of fishing cats have been recorded around the Bhagrol Basa homestay. This provides a unique opportunity to collect information that helps to develop an understanding on ways to secure the future of the fishing cat in similar human-dominated landscapes of India.

Around Baghrol Basa they started addressing both the behavioural study of the cat and the human-dimension aspects. Observing wildlife: In the swamps that too in human dominated landscapes is tricky and they perfected a unique safari model. Wildlife activities are conducted at nighttime, from dusk and end at dawn. The guests rest during the day and enjoy the comforts of the property and experience local culture. At night, we use a ToTo- a battery-operated vehicle, encourage a bit of walking and use hides to observe wildlife that is mostly cryptic and nocturnal in nature. We identified several locations for hides, where one waits to watch nightlife. Our safari is a unique opportunity to observe the fishing cat and other animals at a close distance. In these swamps, the fishing cat is the top predator and the local people rightly call it the Tiger that eats Fish- MECHOBAGHA.

Currently, studies are being done in 8 different locations covering 30 villages around Kolkata and Howrah. Baghrol Basa is situated in Amta village of Howrah in the middle of prime fishing cat habitat. In addition to Fishing cats, the surrounding areas are also home to the Jungle cats, Golden Jackals (many Melanistic or Black Jackals are also recorded and frequently seen), water monitor lizards, Golden monitor lizards, Asian palm civets, Small Indian civets and several species of rodents.

Join me on this experience to photograph the rare and elusive Fishing Cat in an incredibly unique environment packed full of photographic opportunities.