© 2009
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© 2009 |
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Dr. Eric Wikramanayake Ecology and Behavior of Fishing Cats in Urban Habitats of Sri Lanka
These 'urban fishing cats' are also threatened by habitat loss. The marshes and other wetlands they inhabit are being rapidly filled for housing developments, despite the important ecological role they play as sinks and drainages for flood water. Our study attempts to learn more about the distribution and ecology of the fishing cat in urban habitats and treat it as a focal, charismatic species to conserve the important wetlands and the ecological communities within them. Since virtually nothing is known about its ecology and behavior, we now propose to use radio-telemetry to determine the ranging behavior and ecology of this species in urban and wild habitats. This study will also provide insights into how predators modify behavior to survive in human-dominated landscapes.
Collaborators The study is conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo and the Open University of Sri Lanka. Suchitra Balagalle Dr. K. Padmalal |
A
mid-size cat that looks like a small leopard, the fishing cat has charismatic
value to qualify as a flagship species for conservation of urban green
areas in Sri Lanka. Using camera traps, we have confirmed their presence
from several sites in and around Colombo. The study indicated that fishing
cats are active within 100 meters of dense human habitation. But we also
found that fishing cats are trapped by people because of real and perceived
threats to poultry; thus there is a human-wildlife conflict. The trapped
animals are usually handed over to the zoo authorities who subsequently
release them elsewhere but some animals are killed.