Kashmira KakatiFew wild animals are more charismatic than tigers and other big cats. And few are more threatened by habitat loss, poaching and other problems.
So a new set of photos, made by automated cameras in a rain forest in northeast India are “an encouraging sign,” according to group of conservation organizations aiming to protect biodiversity hotspots. The photos show that one forest area is home to seven cat species — clouded leopards, marbled cats and golden cats, all of which are rare, and tigers, leopards, leopard cats and jungle cats, which are more numerous.
The animals, along with wild dogs, bears, mongoose and other creatures, were photographed in the Jeypore-Dehing forests in Assam, a state in northeast India. The photos were made with camera traps — automated cameras equipped with infrared triggers.
The work, led by Kashmira Kakati, a wildlife biologist, and financed by the Government of Assam and a group of conservation organizations including the Wildlife Conservation Society, suggest that the forest is home to a range of valuable species, scientists familiar with the work said in announcing the findings.
But they said the region is threatened by poaching, oil and gas drilling and unsustainable development, including a hydroelectric project.
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