An Asian palm civet cat was on Monday rescued from a home in Mulund around midnight by a team of rescuers.
The animal was found in a chawl residence of Panchasheel Nagar in Mulund West and is suspected to have got displaced due to heavy rains. “Being a nocturnal and wild animal these mammals avoid humans, but this one was being chased by local dogs and to save itself hid in the house,” says Pawan Sharma, founder of NGO Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) which works in the field of wildlife rescue and conservation
The NGO received a distress call on their helpline number at midnight from residents and soon a team of five of its rescuers led by Joaquim Naik rescued the animal in a 45-minute operation. It being midnight was helpful as in most rescues, the challenge is crowd-management, said Sharma.
The mammal is being medically examined by a veterinarian presently and will be released in its natural habitat in coordination with the forest department, once found healthy.
These animals are commonly found in and around forested areas and in the periphery of cities, however as they are nocturnal in nature and have excellent camouflaging skills, their sightings are rare, Sharma said. RAWW has in the past too rescued them from Bhandup, Mulund and Thane areas.
The omnivore which is also known as ‘Common Palm Civet’ or ‘toddy cat’ is the size of a cat and is a resident of the Southeast Asian rainforests. The highly adaptive solitary animal can live in forests, agricultural areas, even alongside humans but prefers to be on tall trees. While its primary source of food is fruits, it can also eat reptiles, eggs and insects.
If you find wild animals, birds or reptiles in distress, call RAWW helpline 7666680222 or forest dept helpline 1926.
