The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) thriving in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) in the Godavari estuary faces a fresh threat in the form of brewing of ID liquor. The conservation status of the cat is ‘vulnerable.’
During the two-day raids which ended on Monday midnight, excise personnel unearthed two ID liquor sites in the CWS. “We have destroyed 24,000 litres of jaggery wash and 750 litres of ID liquor and 1,000 kg of black jaggery near Gadimoga village,” said Deputy Commissioner (Excise-Kakinada) B. Arun Rao.
“Brewing of the ID liquor has been detected in the dense patches of the mangrove forest. The six accused, who escaped by jumping into water during the raid, reportedly belong to Tallarevu in East Godavari district and the enclave of Yanam,” Mr. Arun Rao said.
The excise officials also found dozens of plastic drums on which several mangrove trees were cut to prepare the ground.
The destruction of the mangrove patch to install the stove system to brew the liquor, movements of people inside the sanctuary, and the heat generated from the stoves are arguably disturbing the movements of the wildlife in the sanctuary, particularly at night.
The fishing cat moves actively moves in the mangroves mostly at night in search of prey. The Forest Department’s survey (2019 April) claims; “The population of the fishing cat in the CWS and outside was 115 as against 70 in 2014.”
‘Will probe the matter’
Forest Ranger (Wildlife-Kakinada) B.V. Durga Prasad told The Hindu that movement of people and the activity of brewing ID liquor had not come to their notice but they would conduct a field investigation on Wednesday for further action.
“The details of the people involved in the ID liquor production in the sanctuary will be obtained from excise officials and cases under wildlife protection Acts will be registered,” said Mr. Durga Prasad.
The absence of vigil on the sanctuary’s waterfront, the huge demand for ID liquor and the annual fishing ban seem to have come in handy for those involved in the illegal activity.
