Carnivore mammals of the homesteads: Forgotten and forsaken?
More than one-third of the carnivore mammal diversity of Bangladesh live in the rapidly vanishing rural jungles. But concerted research and conservation efforts are still on our to-do list
It was the first morning of 2017. It was sunny and bright; a lucky hour to watch birds in the winter.
I was in Purbachal. The clamour of construction was yet to set in.
Back then, it was a mosaic of sedge, grass, tomato-and-brinjal crops, and bamboo-woven shelves brimming with lush, spiralling bean, pumpkin and gourd plants.
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In between, there were small groves of palm and bamboo.
I was far from my birding buddies as I was following the noisy cackling of birds. It seemed unusual as the landscape was devoid of humans.
After approaching a few yards into a thicket, I saw what created the uneasiness in the avian society.
It was a jungle cat, wary and annoyed by overlooking sterling green pigeons.
It looked at me and then went deeper into the bush. The green pigeons started to notice me, and became more fearful and eventually flew away. An exceptional show to start a new year!
These days, Purbachal resembles a moonscape. The bean shelves and bamboo stalks are gone.
Concrete has crept in and lands have been marked as plotted properties. A new city is sprouting.
"Where is that jungle cat now? Has it found its new hideout? Or, expensed for the sake of development?" I wondered.
"I saw a fox at Purbachal," a colleague told me several times. Given the current state of Purbachal, foxes might appear as mythic to anyone.
Foxes have a tendency to be portrayed as mythical creatures throughout history. Who knows what he had seen through a car window?
Perhaps, the cat I saw was not a cat at all. Doctors say one might hallucinate in colder temperature if their body has not adjusted to it.
Centuries ago, were the homestead jungles of Bangladesh, in the then Bengal presidency, home to mega-carnivores like leopards and tigers? Or were all those hallucinations?
But, here comes a pensive question. Do we have carnivore mammals that live in our homestead jungles? Or did we used to have any? Do all sound like stories?
Who are carnivores?
With sharp teeth to scythe, claws to grasp, and intelligence to outsmart prey, a group of animals have developed a meaty preference.
We call them carnivores. There are about 280 species around the world.
Fear not, not all of them eat humans (and none of them eats humans without a reason). Carnivores can be as big as the three-metre-long polar bear.
They can also be less than a foot. Most carnivores tend to be smaller than three feet, and weigh around 15-20 kg.
Who lives in our backyard?
Now, you have a slight understanding of carnivore mammals. Tell me, who lives in your backyard? Who might be lurking in your bamboo thicket?
Or, try recalling animals that you used to see in the undergrowth of old government colonies.
Shiyal (jackal), bonbiral (jungle cat), khatash/bham (collective name for many civets), beji (mongoose) - if these come to mind, then your answers are correct!
Not one or two, but at least 10 carnivore mammals habituated in Bangladesh live close to human settlements.
The tally count includes three small cats, two different mongooses, one jackal, one fox, and three civet species.
One-third of the total 28 carnivore mammals of Bangladesh prefer to live near us. They live as silently as possible unless we encroach upon their last home.
As a last ditch effort, they cannot help but start taking poultries/visiting fish farms. And following the response, we brand them as a nuisance.
Protected only on paper?
Like all wildlife, carnivore mammals are protected by the country's existing Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012.
Many of them are assessed as threatened by the 2015 assessment of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The situation of the fishing cat is the most dire, as it is classified as 'Endangered'. The Bengal fox is 'Vulnerable'.
The large Indian civet, leopard cat, and jungle cat are 'Near Threatened'.
These animals are also included on the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) list, meaning any trade is strictly prohibited.
How much concerted research does Bangladesh have on these animals? Let me put it the other way around.
Do we have any scheme to protect our fast disappearing homestead jungles? Or are we planning to have a country neatly trimmed of wildlife?
Relocation strategy needs revision
In recent times, there has been a flickering light that, if aimed correctly, can focus on and alleviate the forlorn situation of small, backyard-dwelling carnivores.
With the advent of social media, any news from animal abuse to carnivore mortality reaches us at lightning speed.
Accordingly, Bangladesh Forest Department personnel, citizen scientists, and journalists can act swiftly.
But the series of events that follow every time when an animal causes a 'problem', and makes news, need thoughtful reconsideration.
Firstly, the kitten or jackal pups that are found in backyards or on false roofs are not a problem at all.
If they are collected in the name of 'rescue' and placed in an enclosure, we are, in fact, doing more harm to the entire species than any good.
Similar things can be said for any adult individual. Small carnivores can be an example to human-wildlife coexistence.
It is not prudent to an animal that lives in thickets and bushes if it is released in a forest. The prime example is the fishing cat.
This cat sticks to wetlands, marshes, and floodplains. In recent times, this cat frequently makes its way to the media because of various conflicts and reasons.
In multiple rescue cases, cats were deliberately released into mixed evergreen forests. The field surveys are saying rather different scenarios.
From a survey effort which consisted of more than 3,500 camera-trap nights, I only found three fishing cats in the forest proper.
It is a clear telltale sign that releasing homestead wildlife can no way be a solution.
And what message are we giving to the community? That wildlife, small or large, should be removed from its habitat?
That only forests are the place of wilderness? That small, less-known carnivores are on the discard list?
Creating a rippling effect
Can we conserve tigers without nurturing our love for the jungle cat?
Or, can we ensure human-elephant coexistence while we are agitated about the civets and mongooses that live near us?
Today, local political leaders in Chattogram want to remove all the wild elephants and place them somewhere else.
This perspective was not built overnight.
Our habitual intolerance toward common carnivores, in addition to surmounting conflict events, has resulted in hatred towards large fauna like elephants.
Let us re-think: Have we undertaken any initiatives to normalise our perspective toward wildlife?
Places in India that are significantly less developed than Bangladesh are exemplifying human-tiger and human-lion coexistence.
Can we imagine anything like this in our country?
Small carnivores can still act as a shield for the large, iconic wildlife.
If people can be taught to love and nurture the small carnivores, in the tertiary end, tigers and elephants will both benefit.
Highlight
At least 10 carnivore mammals of Bangladesh live near human settlements.
The tally count includes three small cats, two different mongooses, one jackal, one fox, and three civet species.
Bangladesh does not have any concerted research on these carnivore mammals; there is not a plan to protect the homestead jungles either.
