Partner Projects

The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP) is the world’s longest running research and conservation project on fishing Cat and has been functional since 2010. It is currently functioning in two states of India – West Bengal and Odisha. In 2012, the fishing cat was declared as the State Animal of West Bengal and over the years, TFCP’s pluralistic approach to conservation has led to wider acceptance and interest of fishing cat in Bengal.

Co-founder / Primary Investigator: Tiasa Adhya

Co-founder: Partha Dey

Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society’s Small Wild Cat Project envisages developing a comprehensive understanding of the bio-geographical distribution of the fishing Cat in the Eastern Ghats region of South India and the implications of various human-induced activities on its survival through ecological niche modelling, camera trapping, signs and tracks survey, structured interviews with locals and documentation of historical records.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Murthy Kantimahanti

The Godavari Fishing Cat Project works towards strengthening the conservation efforts along with improving habitat management, to ensure the long-term survival of fishing cats in the Godavari region. It also works on restoring corridor connectivity by sustainable mangrove regeneration in the lost patches in the Godavari region.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Giridhar Malla

The Urban Fishing Cat Conservation Project studies the ecology and behaviour of the fishing cats that inhabit Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo. The project focuses on raising the species’ profile through education and awareness, while its groundbreaking research has the potential to greatly inform and enhance the government’s urban development models allowing for the sustainable growth of this rapidly developing RAMSAR WetLand City.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Anya Ratnayaka

The Save Fishing Cat Conservation Project is an on-site conservation program, practicing education initiatives and community programs to promote conservation and also the awareness of the species. The ‘save fishing cats’ works on investigating threats and conflicts both human and animals face and design plans to reduce them in proper manner. In advance we work on exploring information about small cats and their core habitats to assist in the long-term preservation and also to develop local community advocates to promote conservation efforts in Sri Lanka.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Ashan Thudugala

The Terai Fishing Cat Project focuses on the ecology and behaviour of fishing cats primarily in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and in Shuklaphanta National Park (Western Terai). It also looks at reducing the threats to fishing cats in buffer zones neighbouring protected areas, as well as supporting the government in formulating a fishing cat action plan in the country which will help ensure the long-term survival of fishing cats in the wild.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Rama Mishra

The Lumbini Fishing Cat Conservation Project aims at intensifying community fishing cat conservation programs with some additional ecological research to implement necessary conservation actions and ensure their continuation into the future with minimum outside input. It also looks to encompass and implement several conservation approaches which will serve not only the fishing cat and its habitat conservation but also directly benefit the diverse communities on the ground.

Primary Investigator: Prativa Kaspal

After discovery of the fishing cat at Jagadishpur reservoir in 2015 by SMCRF, Swechhya has been leading conservation activities for the project Community Based Conservation of Fishing Cat in Jagdishpur, Kapilvastu of Nepal that aims to undertake a down-top approach through monitoring and community based conservation of fishing cats to reduce threats like habitat destruction and poaching.

Primary Investigator: Swechhya Shrestha

The Fishing Cat Conservation Project works at fishing cat conservation in the private fish ponds of central Terai, Nepal. The project also works with government authorities, local communities and students from local University to conserve the cat. The team believes that understanding the frequency of fishing cat visits to private fish ponds using camera traps and via an awareness campaign, can improve the situation of existing human-fishing cat conflict.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Sagar Dahal

The Western Terai Fishing Cat Project empowers, motivates and engages the local fishing dependent communities (Bote, Majhi, Tharu and Musahar) and their school kids in fishing cat conservation.In the coming years, the project has planned to establish community-based fish ponds in Kapilvastu district of Western Terai Landscape.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Ganesh Puri

The Fishing Cat Project in Hakaluki Haor, Bangladesh aims to mitigate conflict and reduce the number of fishing cat killings in conflict hotspots.

The Fishing Cat Project in Ayeyawady Delta, Myanmar aims to understand the status of the fishing cat in the Delta to ensure their long-term survival.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Ai Suzuki

Project Fishing Cat Bangladesh aims to collect baseline information on fishing cat ecology in Bangladesh as well as understand and mitigate conflict with locals in order to ensure long-term conservation at Hail Haor, northeast Bangladesh. Through community awareness programs, outreach events and innovative approaches at the project site they strive to reduce conflict with fishing cats, and to train and engage selected members of the local communities to collect data, rescue captured or injured fishing cats and ideally formulate a local cat conservation/response team.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Sayam Chowdhury

Fishing Cat Conservation, Pakistan focusing at understanding the fishing cat’s distribution and status in the country, to establish an in-situ threat reduction program ultimately, save the species from extinction. The project works closely with both the Sindh Wildlife Department, as well as local community members.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Zafeer Ahmed Shaikh

Kla Trey, also known as the Cambodian Fishing Cat Project, seeks to study the newly discovered population of fishing cats in Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary and implement conservation actions for fishing cats, other threatened species, and the mangrove ecosystem as a whole. Research began in early 2017 and to date the project has photo-captured fishing cats at seven locations, conducted threat investigation interviews and awareness raising workshops at five villages (200+ participants) and established contact with all stakeholders.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Vanessa Herranz Muñoz

This study focuses on confirming the existence of fishing cats in Java.

Founder / Primary Investigator: Erwin Wilianto