A fishing cat had been entering the village at night over the past several days and was allegedly preying on goats, ducks and chicken, according to locals. Kolkata: A fishing cat, the state animal of Bengal, was found dead at Narit village under the Tajpur Gram Panchayat in the Amta Assembly constituency of Howrah, raising fresh concerns over the growing human-wildlife conflict in the region’s wetland ecosystems. Villagers who spotted the animal reportedly mistook it for a tiger, triggering panic and resentment within the community. A few days later, unidentified persons allegedly killed the animal and dumped its carcass in a bamboo grove in the village.
Speaking on the incident, Wildlife Environment Saviour Trust president Chitrak Pramanik said the animal did not pose a threat to humans. The incident comes amid repeated reports of fishing cats being killed in the wetlands of Bagnan, Amta and Shyampur, which are considered important habitats for the species. Conservationists have long alleged that despite the animal’s protected status, insufficient awareness and conservation measures have left the fishing cat increasingly vulnerable. The latest incident has drawn comparisons with a case four years ago in Kalikapur village in Bagnan, where three fishing cats were allegedly poisoned after being blamed for eating fish from village ponds.
The incident was reported to the forest department, whose officials reached the village the same night, recovered the carcass and began questioning local residents. The carcass has been sent for postmortem examination, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of death and identify those responsible.