Wildlife biologist Sumit Dookia on researching the understudied Asiatic wildcat

Subject : Environment

Section: Species in news

Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica ornata):

Also known as Asian steppe cats or Indian Desert cats.
It has back and reddish-brown spots.
Range:
- Southeast and Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Mongolia and China
- In India: Thar Desert (Rajasthan), Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab
- The cat is locally called rohiminno (male cat that lives in the scrubs) or roniminni (for females) in Rajasthan region.
The Asiatic wildcat is much smaller than the European wildcat and has yellow or reddish fur, with small black or reddish-brown spots. Some might have stripes too.
The Asiatic wildcat, also known as the Indian desert cat, faces threats such as hybridisation of the species with the domestic cat, road kills and expansion of infrastructure projects that fragment its habitat.
Renewable energy projects have particularly threatened the habitat of this species.
Due to the elusive nature of this small wildcat, it also becomes challenging to study it by identifying optimal observation sites and setting up camera traps. There is no official census available for the species.
Ecological role:
- They prey on insects such as grasshoppers and small herbivores such as hares and ground-nesting birds, thereby helping regulate the populations of rodents, locusts and other potential pests. These ecosystem services benefit local communities by protecting crops and maintaining a balance in the environment.
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened