Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance

The fishing cat is a highly elusive wild cat species found primarily in wetland and mangrove habitats, even been recorded in highly urbanised landscapes and montane forests.
This unique species of wild cat is found distributed in patches across South and Southeast Asia. Confirmed records show fishing cat populations to be present in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
In India, fishing cats have a patchy distribution along the Eastern Ghats, Sundarbans in West Bengal, Chilika lagoon and surrounding wetlands in Odisha, Coringa and Krishna mangroves in Andhra Pradesh.
They are classified as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Endangered within their range countries.
Unlike most felines, fishing cats love water and are known for their expert hunting skills in aquatic habitats.
Habitat loss and fragmentation, conflict with humans over poultry and livestock, as well as the demand for bushmeat and trade for captive wildlife are causing fishing cat populations to decline.

The Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance (FCCA) is a team of conservationists, researchers and fishing cat enthusiasts working on conserving floodplains and coastal ecosystems that would ensure the survival of the fishing cat and all species with which it shares a home.

The FCCA has started a worldwide month-long campaign in February to raise awareness and garner support across the globe for fishing cats.
The awareness program has been joined by Association of Zoos and Aquariums (a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation) and Fishing Cat Species Survival Plan.
The FCCA hopes to inspire children and adults into the conservation of this small cat.

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