World’s First Fishing Cat Census

• 07 Jun 2022

The world’s first population estimation of the fishing cat outside the protected area network of Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon was conducted in Chilika.

• According to the census, Chilika Lake in Odisha is home to 176 fishing cats.
• The census was conducted by Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP).
• The cat is a globally threatened species found in marshlands, mangroves, flooded forests and other wetlands.
• The feline, an adept swimmer and twice the size of a house cat, has been designated as an ambassador of Chilika since 2020.