w w w . i n d i a w i l d s . c o m
home
about Sabyasachi Patra
diary
forums
image gallery
contact IndiaWilds
Home
About
Diary
Forums
Gallery
ContactUs

User Tag List

Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Good News - In a first, rare bear-cat seen in Buxa

  1. #1
    Join Date
    14-04-13
    Location
    Dubai, UAE
    Posts
    808
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Good News - In a first, rare bear-cat seen in Buxa

    TOI, Jalpaiguri: Reports of a bizarre "bear with a bushy tail" led forest officials to an unprecedented discovery in Buxa on Wednesday -the first ever sighting of a binturong, or bearcat, in Bengal.
    It only proves that Bengal's forests still have secrets yet to be discovered - the world's only known melanistic (black) leopard cat was spotted in Sunderbans in 2012 and the extremely rare clouded leopard and marbled cat were seen for the first time in Buxa last year.
    Binturong -which has the face of a cat, the body of a bear and a tail like none other in the animal kingdom - is the world's largest civet. Buxa field director Ujjwal Ghosh confirmed that this is the first time it was found in the reserve. "This animal's sighting in the Bhutan foothills is rare. And its sighting here is of great importance because it shows the rich biodiversity of Buxa," he said.
    It is also a eureka moment for conservationists because binturong has been pushed to the brink - it's population has shrunk by 30% in three decades and it is considered 'vulnerable'.
    The animal is usually between four and five feet long, half of which is its bushy tail. It looks so much like a bear that it does take your breath away at first glance. Fortunately, the villagers of Paschim Khalisamari thought of informing the forest department instead of panicking and killing it, as they often do with straying leopards. Foresters posted at Raidak range rushed to the area and trapped the animal. It was released in Moynabari a few hours later.
    "When villagers at Khalisamari saw it on Wednesday, they mistook it for a bear. They informed us that they saw a bear with a tail. This proves that they had never seen this animal before," a forester said.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    24-11-08
    Location
    Bangalore
    Posts
    16,084
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Its amazing that so many species exists in the indian jungles that we are not even aware of. Good to know it was not killed by the villagers and rescued and released later. Thanks for sharing the information.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    27-05-11
    Location
    Salt Lake, Kolkata
    Posts
    4,462
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    12 Thread(s)

    Default

    Good News. I have seen its photograph..... lovely specimen. Debashis Bhai, You may post, if readily available.
    Melanistic Leopard Cat photo from camera trap published in newspaper is with me.
    Beyond that there may be some news......
    Thanks for sharing.
    SaktiWild

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •