Records of the globally threatened Rusty-spotted cat in Odisha, India

Himanshu S Palei,Nimain C Palei,Bhakta P Rath,Arun K Mishra

doi:10.24189/ncr.2019.053

Abstract

Records of the globally threatened Rusty-spotted cat in Odisha, India

Highlights

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Rusty-spotted Cat is listed in the «Near Threatened» category because of its larger range than previously known
Material and Methods Odisha State is located between 17.49– 22.34°N and 81.29–87.29°E covering an area of 155 707 km2 along the eastern coast of India (Fig. 1)
We gathered records from forest department rescues and camera trap surveys conducted in different part of Odisha

Summary

Introduction

The Rusty-spotted Cat’s status, distribution and ecology are still unknown because of its elusive behaviour and naturally low density (Mukherjee et al, 2016) This species is affected by habitat loss and 75% of its habitat in the current distributional range facing an imminent danger of conversion of forest to agriculture and industry (Mukherjee et al, 2016). According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Rusty-spotted Cat is listed in the «Near Threatened» category because of its larger range than previously known. A lack of systematic surveys on its status has designated it as one of the lesser known species throughout its distributional range (Mukherjee et al, 2016)

Objectives

Methods

Results