Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance

23/05/2026

Hunter Kossado, the newest intern at the Fishing Cat Project, shares his very first Field Diary entry from Chilika — Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon.

His fieldwork has only just begun, and tragedy has already struck. Two camera traps were burnt during a Phragmites fire outbreak. These reedbeds are important habitats for Fishing Cats and many other wetland species.

This also highlights the reality of wildlife research, where ecological, social, and scientific challenges often intersect in unexpected ways.

Every camera trap helps us better understand and protect the elusive Fishing Cat and its wetland habitats. If you would like to support our work and help us replace the damaged camera traps, please consider donating through this link: https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/4027671

The Fishing Cat Project

22/05/2026

Want to learn about the small cats of Sri Lanka and their conservation? 🐾

On 23 May 2026 (Saturday), an online lecture session is being organized by the Turtle Conservation Project and the Nature Pioneers Society as part of their ongoing lecture series.

You are all invited to join this exciting session and explore the fascinating world of Sri Lanka’s small wild cats and the importance of their conservation.

Meet our speaker, Mr. Ashan Thudugala — Carnivore Conservation Director and Co-founder of Small Cat Advocacy and Research (SCAR). He is also a local partner of the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation and the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance.

Don’t miss out!
“Look deep into nature… a journey to discover the wonder of wildlife.” 💚

📅 Date: 23 May 2026
⏰ Time: 08:00 PM (Colombo Time)
💻 Platform: Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fus04web.zoom.us%2Fj%2F72635327942%3Fpwd%3D1GdaGIIESFLWmmHqutoydVXPij2UfA.1%26fbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExZ1owVE12Q2s2ZTlNQ0hpQXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7c4b7AVaTGkfjd98oDmjyNQFYBpXqwVgNpnCbo7npHO3H1WvO2vwGEU1DnEA_aem_XIPsPgwMLE7f-v5-ZtqNzA&h=AUB9smJRtfz2tI1Gqsla6gGbj93GU9J6Kw3p7pjlLll95CQqDNdYo5tMG-rRMZbWgnLG0y2ODiwVP7n4XdOXvrnf_n8tGkgNcJunCTtKitbJek6qa8hiYYv3D1qnn93lDRsvkiJP-b3Rgaip&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AUBvt-5rpVxLgHZHySDkhpfyb9ebjZHPFqc3sTTgtVmmSRXjFwH3jA4G661wpk7eNsl4Pc_9Jjl5fxXAsbC8wKf-5FB77C3HbdhMIiku_Ao4nhNhlsKxbybkAHK5nZeodtwKJQF1IV2mJ50OALfu1N9H2zcRDu0x6Q70P1D51amYcKFKlZSpYwdL4-2j72aWPkA1B_HqYAMDc3YqRNW1d2KiEg

Meeting Chat Link:https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fus04web.zoom.us%2Flaunch%2Fjc%2F72635327942%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExZ1owVE12Q2s2ZTlNQ0hpQXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR62SvG8wPu3O265QYQAZKX2QM-3kKrc7ue_xveaJf5vwfl-jdzJtDAGniIB6g_aem_UpEs4QzqPBAM-MvQoijsVg&h=AUCrxGyDH0gAmg_3Rp8ufkHf9VXJmnQYLTQioalzHP7x07h-sCLxNqIKJbdXmFYkmF50qG6-sLUvNNQNC-HiNPcI1N7fA4JvZqa60onR3qO0CtvfShzBy5OZm_EE19w8YzzpVyNNCY3-TmSj&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AUBvt-5rpVxLgHZHySDkhpfyb9ebjZHPFqc3sTTgtVmmSRXjFwH3jA4G661wpk7eNsl4Pc_9Jjl5fxXAsbC8wKf-5FB77C3HbdhMIiku_Ao4nhNhlsKxbybkAHK5nZeodtwKJQF1IV2mJ50OALfu1N9H2zcRDu0x6Q70P1D51amYcKFKlZSpYwdL4-2j72aWPkA1B_HqYAMDc3YqRNW1d2KiEg

Meeting ID: 726 3532 7942
Passcode: Z0DyyV

Save Fishing Cats conservation project

Online lecture series conducted by the Turtle Conservation Project and the Nature Pioneers' Society.

You all are kindly invited for joining the online lecture series.

කැස්බෑ සංරක්ෂණ ව්‍යාපෘතිය සහ සොබාදම් පුරෝගාමීන්ගේ සංගමය විසින් පවත්වනු ලබන මාර්ගගත දේශන මාලාව සඳහා සම්බන්ධ වීමට ඔබ සැමට කාරුණිකව ආරාධනා කර සිටින්නෙමු.

This speech will be on "Small wild cats of Sri Lanka and their Conservation."

About lecturer,

Mr. Ashan Thudugala is a Carnivore Conservation Director and Co-founder of Small Cat Advocacy and Research (SCAR). He is also a local partner of the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation and the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance.
He holds a postgraduate Master of Ecology degree from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Zoology, University of Peradeniya.

මෙවර දේශනය "ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ කුඩා කැලෑ බළලුන් සහ ඔවුන්ගේ සංරක්ෂණය" යන්නයි...

දේශකවරයා පිළිබඳව යමක්...

අශාන් තුඩුගල මහතා මාංශ භක්ෂක සතුන් සංරක්ෂණ අධ්‍යක්ෂවරයෙකු සහ කුඩා බළලුන් සංරක්ෂණය සහ පර්යේෂණ සිදු කිරීමේ ආයතනයෙහි (SCAR) සම-නිර්මාතෘවරයෙකු ලෙස කටයුතු කරයි. ඔහු කුඩා කැලෑ බළලුන් සංරක්ෂණ පදනම සහ හඳුන් දිවියන් සංරක්ෂණ සන්ධානය යන සංවිධානවල දේශීය හවුල්කරුවෙකු ලෙසද කටයුතු කරයි.
ඔහු චීන විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ විද්‍යා ඇකඩමියෙන් පරිසර විද්‍යාව පිළිබඳ පශ්චාත් උපාධිය ලබාගෙන ඇති අතර, පේරාදෙණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයේ සත්ව විද්‍යා අධ්‍යයන අංශයෙන් විද්‍යාවේදී උපාධිය ලබාගෙන ඇත.

Don't miss out!

Meet Mr. Ashan Thudugala…

Look deep into nature...

A journey to find the wonder of nature.

Turtle Conservation Project is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Zoom lecture

Date: May 23, 2026

Time: 08:00 PM Colombo

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/72635327942?pwd=1GdaGIIESFLWmmHqutoydVXPij2UfA.1

Meeting chat link

https://us04web.zoom.us/launch/jc/72635327942

Meeting ID: 726 3532 7942

Passcode: Z0DyyV

Join instructions

https://us04web.zoom.us/meetings/72635327942/invitations?signature=YgY3_-vD1CNRK322UTyLFTxvrqSrCdthjZci9NYWksM

21/05/2026

Teachers for Fishing Cat 🐾

Our partner, FishingCat Conservation Project – Hakaluki Haor, Bangladesh, conducted environmental education activities on Fishing Cat conservation at Halla Primary School, where the teachers participated enthusiastically. Their active involvement is truly a meaningful milestone for conservation education and community engagement.

The team shared ideas on environmental awareness and conservation with the educators, and together we hope to nurture a generation that understands, respects, and protects nature for a safer future.

FishingCat Conservation project-Hakaluki Haor, Bangladesh

19/05/2026

Division Forest Officer Mahendra Wagle and Dr Jim Sanderson, Founder and Director of the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation and a member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, inaugurated the Fishing Cat sculpture at Birja Lake, one of the prime Fishing Cat habitats in Kapilvastu, Nepal.

This village is also home to women-led handicraft group and is proudly recognized as Nepal’s first Fishing Cat Friendly Village. With the support and leadership of the local women’s group, this sculpture was installed as a symbol of community pride and commitment to Fishing Cat conservation.

Every month, thousands of visitors come to Birja Lake, and we hope this sculpture will help raise awareness about Fishing Cats, wetlands, and the importance of coexistence between people and wildlife.

For this community, the Fishing Cat is no longer just a wild animal — it is a source of identity, pride, and conservation inspiration.

fishing_cat_conservation_nepal

17/05/2026

Meet Reaksmey Sophatt — Biodiversity Researcher, Wildlife Photographer, and a passionate conservationist from Cambodia.

Reaksmey joined the FCEE team in 2017 after completing his Master’s degree, with a dream of protecting wildlife such as Fishing Cats, otters, civets, langurs, and many bird species.

From checking camera traps for elusive species to photographing rare birds in remote forests, his work combines science, conservation, and storytelling through photography.

What inspires him the most is seeing local communities learn to monitor and protect their own natural resources through conservation initiatives.

Looking ahead, Reaksmey hopes to lead more bird diversity surveys, showcase Cambodia’s incredible wildlife through his photography, and inspire the next generation of conservationists to care for nature and wetlands.

Sp Reaksmey reaksmey_sp fishingcat_ee Fishing Cat Ecological Enterprise

15/05/2026

For nearly a month, our partner, the Lumbini Fishing Cat Project, Nepal, set up camera traps along private fish ponds and nearby river banks in Siyari Rural Municipality.

One of the most exciting moments came after a month of camera trapping along the banks of the river, where the elusive fishing cat was finally recorded on camera. Although the sighting was brief, with the cat partially hidden as if playing hide and seek, it was still a special moment for the team. We hope to capture clearer sightings in the coming days.

Along with the Fishing cat other species were also recorded like Jungle Cats, Golden Jackals, porcupines, and several bird species.

Fishing Cats are closely linked to wetlands and water-rich habitats, making these river edges and fish pond areas important spaces for conservation. Every record helps us better understand how wildlife survives alongside human-dominated landscapes.

pratibhakaspal

13/05/2026

Our conservation partner Dr. Rama Mishra founder of the Terai Fishing Cat Project Nepal organized the Wild Cats Series 2026, held from 5–7 May in Birendranagar, Surkhet.

This marked the fourth edition of the series. A total of 23 participants took part, including 15 university students and 7 citizen scientists from different regions of Nepal.

Dr. Mishra began this training program in 2023, initially focusing on fishing cat conservation. Over time, she recognized the importance of educating participants about all wild cat species in Nepal. The program now trains university students studying natural sciences, while also engaging citizen scientists who share their experiences with young graduates.

During the sessions, participants learn about cat behavior, research techniques, and the importance of wild cat conservation. After completing the training, they will carry out education outreach activities and social surveys in their hometowns.

The main objectives of the Wild Cats Series are to:
• Train youth in wildlife research and conservation
• Empower participants to become conservation leaders
• Promote human–felid coexistence across Nepal

So far, the program has trained over 90 individuals and reached more than 20 districts across the country.

Terai Fishing Cat Project, Nepal teraifishingcat

11/05/2026

A very warm welcome to Hunter Kossoda, the newest intern at The Fishing Cat Project! We are excited to have him join our team and look forward to the experiences and stories he will share from the field.

Hunter is a Master’s student at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, and over the next few months, he will be learning about Fishing Cats, wetlands, and camera trapping in Chilika Lake, India, while also creating content for social media.

He is eager to share his field experiences and passion for Fishing Cat and wetland conservation with all of you, so stay tuned for exciting new content in the coming weeks!

This internship opportunity was made possible through the support of Future For Nature Academy, and we are grateful for their support in nurturing young conservationists.

The Fishing Cat Project thefishingcatprojectffnfoundationFuture For Nature

10/05/2026

Meet Mr. Badri Vinod Dahal a former employee of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Government of Nepal. He dedicated 28 years to wildlife protection and conservation, working across landscapes from the high mountains to the lowlands.

He began his career as a Ranger at Sagarmatha National Park and retired as the Co-Chief of Bardia National Park. During his career, he played an important role in Nepal’s Tiger Doubling Project.

Currently, he wears many hats — he is a hospitality entrepreneur and a doctoral student at Kathmandu University, pursuing research in tiger conservation.

He joined the Fishing Cat Conservation Project Nepal in 2021 and has since been supporting the coordination and implementation of various Fishing Cat conservation activities in the Banke-Bardia Complex, in collaboration with local governments, Bardia National Park, local NGOs, and communities.

He believes, “Human well-being depends on respecting nature’s laws and recognizing wildlife as essential to the functioning and balance of ecosystems.”

fishingcat_conser_prject_nepal

08/05/2026

Mongabay India has recently published an article titled, “Kaziranga hosts a healthy population of fishing cats, finds survey.”

This is the first scientific survey of Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve recording 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively breeding across the reserve’s floodplains.

The study was conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project, and the survey report was released on February 22 — International Fishing Cat Day.

The Fishing Cat, locally called meseka in Assamese folklore, is a key indicator of healthy wetlands and functioning floodplain ecosystems. The species depends on tall, wet alluvial grasslands and marshes, but increasingly dry years and roadkills pose growing threats to its future.

Protecting wetlands means protecting fishing cats and the rich biodiversity that depends on these ecosystems.

The Fishing Cat Project thefishingcatproject

07/05/2026

Fishing Cats in Prey Nup, coastal Cambodia, seem quite curious about FCEE’s camera traps! 🐾📸

This individual came right up to the camera and even gave it an approving lick. Moments like these remind us how important long-term monitoring is for understanding and protecting this elusive wetland cat.

Every camera trap image helps reveal more about the lives of Fishing Cats and the fragile coastal habitats they depend on.

fishingcat_ee Fishing Cat Ecological Enterprise