DIBRUGARH: In a big boost to wildlife conservation, the Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) has been spotted by a camera trap at Dehing Patkai National Park in Assam. This rare and elusive small wild cat with a distinctive coat pattern and shy nature is found in the eastern Himalayas and Southeast Asia, commonly dwelling in forested areas between elevations of 2,500 meters.
Marbled Cat is placed under Near Threatened (NT) in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, signifying that the population of this species is endangered due to loss and fragmentation of habitats. This sighting in Dehing Patkai National Park provides meaningful information on the conservation status of the species as well as on its presence in this biodiversity hotspot.
Also, days ago, a rare sighting of a pair of endangered white-winged ducks was recorded in Assam's Dehing Patkai National Park by a Wildlife Trust of India team using Passive Acoustic Monitoring. The white-winged duck (Asarcornis scutulata) is one of the largest duck species, previously classified under the genus Cairina.
Apart from this, the invasive Crocodile Catfish was also spotted in Bahini River, Guwahati, and its possibilities of causing damage to indigenous aquatic life by consuming small fish and larvae are of concern. The State Fishery Department has collected samples for testing the degree of threat posed by this invasive species, and intervention is urgently needed to protect Assam's indigenous biodiversity.
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