Manas: A team comprising officials from the Assam Forest Department and conservationists have reaffirmed the existence of the Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) in the Manas National Park of Assam. Although the elusive cat was seen in 2007, the same remained unseen for eight years from 2011 to 2018.
Two photographic captures of the species were made in December 2019 and January 2021 respectively. Following the camera trapping efforts of Assam Forest Department, Aaranyak and Panthera reconfirming its presence in the park following the end of the ethnopolitical conflict in Manas National Park, Dr M Firoz Ahmed, one of the lead authors of the paper said. The finding of this research was published in the summer 2024 edition of ‘CATNews’ of the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group, one of the five components of the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN.
Scientist from Aaranyak Dr M Firoz Ahmed and Senior conservation biologist Dr Dipankar Lahkar along with conservationists Amal Chandra Sarmah, Dr Ramie H Begum, Aprajita Singh, Nibir Medhi, Nitul Kalita, Sunit Kumar Das, and Dr Abishek Harihar contributed to the research finding, mentioned a statement from Aaranyak.
The Asiatic golden cat is a medium-sized felid with a distribution range spanning the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and southern China. Listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List, the species is protected under Scheduled-1 of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
This cat has been spotted across a wide range of habitats, including dry deciduous forests, subtropical evergreen forests, tropical rainforests, temperate and sub-alpine forests, and at elevations ranging from 0 m to 3,738 m, Aaranyak stated in the release.
“In North-east India, the species is recorded from Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve of Sikkim, Buxa Tiger Reserve of north-Bengal, Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, east Garo, South Caro, and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya; Dampha Tiger Reserve of Mizoram, Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Kamlarng Tiger Reserve, Debang valley, Pakke Tiger Reserve, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Singchung- BugunVCR and Talle-Valley Wildlife Sanctuary of Arunachal Pradesh, Intanki National Park of Nagaland, and others. The species is also recorded in many protected areas in Bhutan”, added the statement.
