Can industrial belts become a haven for small carnivores?

A recent article on Mongabay caught my attention. A small wild cat species, no bigger than our very own Jungle Cats (Bon Biral) and Fishing Cats (Mecho Biral), is experiencing a population boom in an unexpected South African landscape. 

The feline in question is the slick and agile Serval, a grassland and wetland specialist—again, strikingly similar to our Jungle Cats and Fishing Cats. With a small head, a beige-yellow spotted coat, black shoulder stripes, and a short, black-tipped tail, the Serval is easy to identify. 

Reputed for its long neck and slender legs – the largest in the cat family relative to body ratio – the Serval is often called the Giraffe Cat. 

But the news says something truly remarkable. The species is thriving in a 79.4 sq km strong petrochemical industrial complex in South Africa's northeastern Highveld province of Mpumalanga. In fact, researchers estimated around 76-101 Servals per 100 sq km. 

The refinery-dwelling cat broke all-time density records for all cat species—a 2018 paper published in the Scientific Reports says. Delving deeper, I found intriguing parallels with our small carnivores in peril. 

Small carnivores, weighing between 1 and 15 kg, have long adapted to living in human-modified landscapes. The servals in South Africa's Sasol Secunda petrochemical industrial complex are no exception. 

The site maintains a mosaic of grassland patches. Combined with the nooks and crannies of the infrastructure, the site has an abundant cache of rats and mice. 

The Serval, intelligent enough, is drawn to this reliable and relatively safe food source. With little to no retaliatory human interference, the cat there has struck a bit of luck. 

Similar adaptations are reported from Pretoria and Johannesburg, where mongooses benefit from living near human vicinity. Perhaps the best-known example is the Red Fox. It has established itself successfully in over 100 metropolises worldwide – a true champion of carnivore habitat flexibility. 

Not all small carnivores live in forests. They do not follow the commoners' idea of finding a meat-eating mammal deep inside evergreens or mangroves—a current popular belief in Bangladesh. 

Remarkably, about half of Bangladesh's carnivore mammals share habitats with humans. Our Jungle Cats and Fishing Cats are widespread across the plainlands of Bangladesh. 

Our jackals roam the peri-urban areas, our civets inhabit most village groves, and our foxes thrive in the northern grasslands and riverbanks. 

Our mongooses even live in city parks, gardens, and eco-friendly thoroughfares. 

The number totals up to 10 different carnivores and they all suffer from human retaliation. Making a room in our industrial complexes can help quell this intense negative interaction.

Building eco-friendly factories is a relatively new concept, but there are some inspiring success stories. 

Currently, around 150 garment factories and export processing complexes in Bangladesh have received certification from the United States Green Building Council and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed).

One fascinating insight comes from camera-trap footage I saw of Fishing Cats prowling a processing zone in Chattogram. Interestingly, this area isn't even recognized internationally for its Fishing Cat population. This finding highlights the potential role that our industries could play in carnivore conservation—similar to what we've learned about Servals.

However, developing this human-wildlife connection does come with long-term risks. For example, in the case of Servals, we've seen issues like changes in natural behaviour, chemical poisoning, and even the dispersal of these animals into human settlements, which can lead to conflicts.

In Bangladesh, where the balance between humans and wildlife is fragile, creating eco-friendly factories could be a positive step forward. It offers a chance to promote coexistence and conservation, making it a worthwhile endeavor.