More at http://www.sanctuaryasia.com | In The Field
‘The Mangrove Man of India’ (top), Appa Rao.
With mangrove forests fast disappearing from
south India, the fragile mangrove ecosystem of
the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary is accepted as a
rare and valuable asset in need of preservation.It’s 3:46 in the morning. It is low tide
and my companions and I are pushing
our little fi shing boat through the slushy
mangrove soil of the Krishna Wildlife
Sanctuary. Sunk in mud up to our waists
and bitten by feisty mangrove bugs, our
quest for the elusive fi shing cat has been
on for six hours now.
After hearing reports from local
fi shermen that a fi shing cat was spotted
lounging by the banks of the river, we
had set out immediately in the dark of
the night. Despite years of working in the
mangroves, my friend Appa Rao, has only
seen this wild cat twice, and the boatmen
a handful of times. In this region, the
fi shing cat is the subject of legend and
folklore, and much of what is known about
it is from fl eeting glimpses and recounted
stories of fi shermen. Everyone is as
excited as me tonight.
Very soon, we hear a rustling of
leaves in the mangroves. “Malaika,
bavurpilli, bavurpilli!” Appa Rao says to me
while gesturing wildly towards a patch
of mangroves.
We watch intently through the sifting
moonlight. There it is, the inimitable
fi shing cat! I strain my eyes following
the silhouette of this hypnotic small cat,
glimpsing its olive grey body each time it
emerges into a patch of moonlight. The
cat stops on the bank of the river to look
at the fl owing water... it’s hunting!
Fishing cats hunt using a remarkable
strategy that has everything to do withMALAIKA VAZ