Nepal, Feb. 3 -- The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), commonly called Malaha Biralo, one of the 13 cat species in Nepal, is a medium sized cat found primarily in wetland areas, and native to Asia including Nepal. It is threatened to extinction by habitat loss, depletion of fish populations, road accidents, retaliatory killing and predators. This has resulted in its inclusion as globally "vulnerable" species on the IUCN Red List. Strong conservation efforts are required from the conservation stakeholders as it faces a danger of extinction in the wild.

The fishing cat is a highly elusive wild cat species, a skilled swimmer, and is about double the size of a domestic cat with medium to short legs. Since wetlands such as; rivers, lakes...