Four hoarding boards with conservation message on fishing cats were installed at different locations of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Paschim Kusaha, Sunsari, Nepal. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) is a protected area in the Terai of Eastern Nepal and holds a relatively healthy population of fishing cats. The reserve spans over 3 districts viz. Sunsari, Saptari and Udaypur covering an area of 176 sq.km. The entire KTWR is a part of the floodplain of the Koshi river marked by several wetlands, swamps, marshes and bogs. These habitats supports the thriving population of fishing cats in the region. Unlike most felines, fishing cat loves water and are known for their expert hunting skills in aquatic habitats. Unfortunately, fishing cats are often in conflict with local fish farmers due to their piscivorous nature. Besides, habitat loss and fragmentation, conflict with farmers over aquaculture, poultry and livestock are causing the population of fishing cats to decline. In light of this, we set up informational hoarding boards on different places of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve to raise awareness on the importance and conservation of fishing cats in this region. The locations were chosen strategically to gather more public interest on fishing cat conservation and comprises of one each at Headquarter of KTWR, Paschim Kusaha; East-West highway adjacent to Haripur range post; Pathri range post, Saptari and Prakashpur Check-post, Sunsari.
