The Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennet, 1833)(Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Shuklaphanta Natonal Park, Nepal

Abstract

The Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus is known to occur in the Terai region since at least the late 1920s. Contemporary locality records of the Fishing Cat in this region are widely spaced, and the knowledge about the connectvity between these localites is still defcient. We present the frst photographic evidence for the presence of the Fishing Cat in far western Nepal. In spring and winter 2016, we obtained 30 notonally independent events of the Fishing Cat in the foodplain of Shuklaphanta Natonal Park at elevatons of 181–221m. This populaton unit may be connected to units in Indian protected areas. Further targeted surveys in adjacent wetlands and wildlife corridors are warranted to clarify its range in the Indian and Nepal Terai.