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Silchar: A forest cat was rescued from a village in Patharkandi in south Assam’s Karimganj district on Friday.
Sources said that the cat was spotted by a local person, who with the help of others caught the animal from Narayinpur town, about 92 km from Silchar on Friday afternoon and informed the forest department.
A team of officials from Baithakhal forest office under Dohalia forest reached the spot and then the locals handed over the forest officials.
Forest officials confirmed that it was a three-month-old forest cat and her health appeared to be good. He will undergo a medical examination and be released into the wild, officials said.
The local people said that there was a report in the area that it was a tiger. This caused panic as they thought that a tiger might be around. They were relieved when it was confirmed that it was a jungle cat and not a tiger.
Forest cat (Felis chaus), also known as the reed or swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat found mainly in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and southern China.
These predatory cats prey on small mammals such as rodents, rabbits, and mice. They also eat birds, fish, frogs, insects, and small snakes.
The forest cat is a critically endangered species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, Appendix II). It is listed as a Schedule II species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Hunting or killing cats is prohibited in many countries including Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Myanmar, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Turkey.
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