A cat that loves the water and lives on a diet of fish? Meet the elusive and charismatic felid of our marshlands.

As published in Nature inFocus on 23 September, 2022.

The largest religious monument in the world is the Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Built in the early 12th century, the massive complex is spread over 162 hectares and also finds itself on the country’s flag. If you ever visit this UNESCO World Heritage site, be sure to pay close attention to the carvings on the monument. Somewhere in the vast temple, you will find yourself looking at the outline of a Fishing Cat.

For a felid that is etched on the country’s most popular monument, the Fishing Cat no longer share the same glory. Until recently, the only previously confirmed record of the Fishing Cat was from 2003. But as per a 2017 Cambodia-based camera trap survey, eight instances of the felid’s existence were recorded in the region over five months.

Closer to home, the story is no different. Fishing Cat is the state animal of West Bengal and is locally known as baghrol or machbagha (fish tiger) in Bengali. Apart from the loss of habitats, the Fishing Cats of India also face a grim future due to retaliatory killings, accidental deaths as a result of roadkills, and hunting traps placed for other animals.

In this story, we list some basic facts about the Fishing Cat and give you a preview of the ongoing efforts to prevent its extinction. We hope this will not only help raise awareness about the piscivorous felids, but also about the state of their ecosystems.

To read more, visit Nature inFocus.