HYBRIDIZATION OF WILDCAT SPECIES: LEOPARD CAT (Prionailurus bengalensis) & JUNGLE CAT (Felis chaus) WITH DOMESTIC CAT (Felis domesticus) IN WAYANAD DISTRICT, KERALA
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Date
2022-02-25
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KERALA VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY POOKODE, WAYANAD-
Abstract
Leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) and Jungle cats (Felis chaus) are two
common wild felines living closer to the arboraceous surroundings nearer to the
human habituated areas of Wayanad district, Kerala which is famous for its
plantations like tea, coffee, cardamom and tourism. These plantations attracts birds
and rodents according to previous studies, as this becomes a crucial habitat for
cats due to human encroachments like anthropogenic activities. There have been
reports of photographic evidences to prove the mating between wild and the
domestic cats due to interference plantations near tribal colonies. This study was
mainly based finding cats which had patterning similar to that ofthe wild ones. Fig
9.6 and 9.7 clearly showed similarities with the jungle cat, considering the fur
pattern, stripes on the body and tail rings though it was not evident in the genetic
analysis. Anthropogenic activities in the Wayanad are major reason behind the
hybridization between the individuals. There are around several colonies in which
rearing chickens and ducks could be the reason behind the luring of wild cats into
the human habitats. Domestic cats can be a reason for spread of diseases, as wild
cats become accidental victims. Though this study lacks genetic data, if more
number of samples could be DNA sequenced, there could be a better answer for
the question “Do intervention of anthropogenic activities and domestic cats really
possess a threat for wildcat population
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
MAaster of Science in Wildlife Studies