Maharashtra: Leopard cat sighted in Pench Tiger Reserve for first time

The leopard cat, noted for its leopard-like colouring, is the most widespread species after the jungle cat in India. Pic/X

A leopard cat has been spotted in Maharashtra's Pench Tiger Reserve for the first time, a senior forest official said on Sunday.

A leopard cat, with the scientific name Prionailurus bengalensis, belongs to the family Felidae, and is noted for its leopard-like colouring.

The presence of the species at the reserve was found through camera trapping, a release by Deputy Director Prabhu Nath Shukla said, also claiming that this is the first such sighting in central India.

Shukla said a camera captured the grid-bearing cat near Narahar village in Pench in Nagpur district.

"The site of image capture was inside a seasonal stream. This is the first record of the leopard cat from central India," the release said.

Shukla said 15 species of felids, or wild cats, are found in India, constituting over 40 per cent of global felid diversity.

The leopard cat is the most widespread species after the jungle cat in India due to its "adaptive flexibility", and is restricted to North East India, northern Himalayan states, West Bengal, Odisha, and pockets of Western Ghats. It was believed to be absent in central India, he said.

"The current finding will pave the way for more works in the distribution of the hitherto relatively under-studied felid. Studying the distribution of any animal is very vital to make any conservation efforts holistic," the release said.

The Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra which gets its name from the Pench river is spread over 740 sq km. The flora is predominantly dominated by teak trees.

The Reserve shows corridor connectivity with the Melghat Tiger Reserve to the west, Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve to the southeast, Pench Tiger Reserve (MP) to the north, and Kanha Tiger Reserve (MP) to the northeast, said Shukla.

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