Cambodia News (Ratanakiri): On March 5, 2021, Lieutenant Nen Na, the commander of Osethey 707 area, the border no. 603, returned two baby fishing cats to Mr. Tho Sokhon, the director of the environment's ministry.

Then on March 6, 2021, the park ranger of the Ministry of the Enviroment in Ratanakiri returned the two baby fishing cats to Mr. Ny Maren, the representative of Birdlife international in Ratanakiri, to release them into the natural park.

A villager had caught the two baby fishing cats in the Andong Meas area, and they returned them to the police.

More on Cambodian fishing cats here at the Cambodian Fishing Cat Project : http://www.fishingcatcambodia.org/

How to identify a fishing cat:

FFFaaaaarrr Out !!!!!!!

The most elusive cat in the world. and certainly the rarest of Cambodia's seven species.
Only seen on camera trap photo's every few years.

Cats are the hardest of all animals to see. Some people study them all their lives and hardly ever/never see them in the wild.
I have only ever seen 3 for sure, and another couple of probable glimpses.
One was a Fishing cat, deep in the mangroves in KK. At dusk on a tree trunk overhanging a quiet mangrove reach.

nb. Sighting is unverified. I usually don't talk about sightings without proof (that is why i took up photography). But this was worthy of note.
It was gone long before i could pull up my camera, but the description and these photographs of scarring on this tree was informally "confirmed" by a fishing cat specialist.

I went back next morning (i was sleeping nearby on a boat, out on my kayak during the day.)
The scarring on the trunk indicates regular use - probably a prime fishing spot


Purrrfect habitat, but fishing cats and me are amongst the few cool cats that can handle it.

^^ Very cool SA. You got close to seeing them. If they are elusive for monitors, then they are eluding the human traps (I hope).
Anyway, good news that two young ones have been released in a 'protected zone'.

Fishing Cat Recorded in Boeung Tonle Chhmar Ramsar Lake
AKP Phnom Penh, October 26, 2022 --
Rangers at Boeung Tonle Chhmar Ramsar lake has spotted a fishing cat during their monthly patrol earlier this month, according to NatureLife Cambodia.

It was the first record of a fishing cat in Boeung Tonle Chhmar Ramsar lake and the animal is classified as a vulnerable species in IUCN red list due to the decline in its population.

Habitat loss, hunting, pollution are the major threats to this carnivore species.

The record of the fishing cat in Boeung Tonle Chhmar proves that the lake does not only provide spawning habitats for fish and water birds, but also supports habitat for mammal species, including fishing cat.

The Ministry of Environment in collaboration with NatureLife Cambodia is developing a zoning and management plan for Boeung Tonle Chhmar Ramsar lake to ensure effective wildlife conservation.

Since 2021, NatureLife Cambodia, with financial support from EU, has also built the capacity of rangers at Boeung Tonle Chhmar Ramsar to address illegal fishing and improve the biodiversity baseline data at the lake.
By Phal Sophanith
AKP

Amazing! And such cute kittens.

Long read:

From India to Cambodia, efforts are on to save the fishing cat
Researchers stress that the fishing cat’s survival hinges on the protection and restoration of its wetland home, and achieving peaceful coexistence with humans.
Richa Malhotra

With partially webbed feet, semi-retractable claws for hooking slippery prey and two layers of fur to keep dry, the fishing cat is built to hunt in water. Populations of the species are scattered across the wetlands of South and Southeast Asia, but the nocturnal wild cat is scarce and rarely seen. While its total population size is unknown, the fishing cat is considered vulnerable to extinction, as it faces a multitude of threats.

In some parts of its range, the fishing cat is persecuted out of retaliation for stealing fish and destroying fishing nets. In other areas, it is hunted for its meat. A common threat throughout its Asian range is habitat loss.

Researchers studying the fishing cat stress that its survival hinges on the protection and restoration of its wetland home, and achieving peaceful coexistence with the humans who live alongside it. Across the species’ broad and varied range, a host of projects are underway which are working to achieve just this.
https://scroll.in/article/1035738/from- ... ishing-cat