On 29th July 2025, on occasion of Global Tiger Day, the Honourable Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav ji, released the report on "Status of Small Cats in Tiger Landscapes of India". 

 

Small fields, despite their ecological importance, remain understudied and underrepresented in conservation planning. This report presents the occupancy status and dynamics of nine small cat species across India's tiger range forests, using camera trap data from the All-India Tiger Estimation (2018 and 2022). The jungle cat emerged as the most widespread species, occupying an estimated 96275 km² (95% CI: 90075 - 98100), across diverse habitats ranging from dry deciduous to moist forests. It was followed by the rusty-spotted cat, occupying 70075 km² (66225 - 96075), with high occupancy in mixed deciduous forests. Leopard cats, largely confined to moist forests, occupied 32800 km² (27950 - 35900), primarily across the Himalayan foothills, Northeast, Sundarbans, Western Ghats, and Similipal. In contrast, the habitat specialists showed more restricted distributions. The desert cat occupied 12500 km² (10675 - 13850) within the semi-arid and dry deciduous forests of Western and Central India. The fishing cat, closely tied to wetlands and riverine systems, was restricted to the Terai, Northeast, and mangrove habitats, occupying 7575 km² (6125 - 8150). The three rare and elusive species, clouded leopard (3250 km²; 2250 - 3725), marbled cat (2325 km²; 1375 - 3550), and Asiatic golden cat (1850 km²; 1400 - 3075) were limited to dense forests of Northeast India. Occupancy generally declined with increasing human disturbance, except in habitat generalists such as the jungle cat and rusty-spotted cat. Protected areas supported higher occupancy across most species, highlighting their reliance on secure habitats and underscoring the pivotal role of Project Tiger in safeguarding India's small cat diversity. While occupancy patterns appeared relatively stable between 2018 and 2022, the absence of fine-scale data on prey availability and micro-habitat features may mask subtle changes. These findings offer a baseline for targeted research and conservation efforts for India's lesser-known fields.