Two rare species of wildlife spotted in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

PILIBHIT: Two rare species of wildlife – Rusty spotted cat and Coral red kurki snake-- were spotted by chance in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) by field director H Rajamohan while passing through the forest area during routine monitoring.
The Rusty spotted cat, the smallest member of the cat family, was spotted in Mala range while the Coral red kurki snake was sighted in Haripur range, said Rajamohan.
In 2018, the snake was spotted in Sonaripur forest range of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
The Rusty spotted cat is classified as “near threatened” in the Red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The field director has ordered forest personnel to collect all possible details about this tiny cat in PTR so that a conservation plan for this rare species is worked out.
Citing wildlife reports, he said, this cat is nocturnal by nature. It is just 35 to 45 cm in length and weighs about 1.5 kg. Its survival is being threatened due to the loss of its habitat. Its first picture was captured 10 years ago by the camera traps installed in PTR for the tiger census. But the cat not seen again since then.
“Now, it has been spotted after a decade. It needs to be conserved because it is listed in schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. This little carnivore survives on insects, birds and rodents,” Rajamohan added.
Till date, the Coral red kurki, he said, was seen in DTR and in Chitwan National Park in Nepal that has contiguity with the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar.
“Like Rusty spotted cat, this snake is also nocturnal in nature and normally preys on earthworms and larvae. Its innate characteristic is to remain underground most of the time. It is rarely seen on the ground in day hours,” Rajamohan said. The Coral red kurki is listed in schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act.