Timely informed; timely re-wilded: How India can help conserve its small cats

Wildlife rescue is a complex and double-edged process. While wildlife conservationists continuously train law enforcement agencies to identify trafficked species and crack down on illegal wildlife trade, it is equally critical to engage local communities. Community members are often the first to encounter wildlife or its body parts being poached, and their ability to identify and report such incidents is essential. This becomes especially important for the elusive group of species known as ‘small cats’.

Small cats coexist with large carnivores across India, so it is inaccurate to claim that their habitats lie primarily outside protected areas. However, their presence in semi‑urban and urban regions is notably high. Most small cat species are roughly the size of domestic cats but retain their wild instincts. They hunt and survive independently—abilities lost through domestication. As a result, even small, fragmented patches of habitat—wetlands, agricultural fields, community lands, or green belts—can support their survival. These mosaic landscapes also overlap heavily with human activity, increasing the chances of people encountering them.

During rice or sugarcane harvesting, for instance, cat litters may suddenly become exposed. Road and highway construction can reveal rock mounds near rivers, inadvertently exposing resident small cats. And in cases where authorities intercept individuals carrying leopard cat body parts, the procedures are clear: agencies like the police or railway authorities hand over the case to the forest department for legal action.

However, the earlier examples—where no crime is being committed—are far more delicate. They involve citizens who are genuinely compassionate and willing to invest time and effort to help wildlife. These encounters require guidance, awareness, and timely access to trained wildlife professionals.

Citizen science must not remain elusive when it comes to conserving these elusive small cats. Yet the nature of citizen participation in this context is unique. People often view small cats through the same emotional lens as domestic cats and dogs. Without proper knowledge, this compassion can backfire. Many individuals, considering wild kittens “cute,” attempt to keep them as pets. Beyond personal pet‑keeping, such behaviour can inadvertently enable the illegal commercial pet trade.

Therefore, small cat awareness must be rooted in three pillars — species identification, understanding the ecological role and wild instincts of these animals, and knowledge of India’s strict wildlife protection laws.

Community engagement is necessary—but it must be planned, structured, and responsible.

Examples from across India demonstrate how timely action and expert intervention lead to successful outcomes. A rusty‑spotted cat kitten found in a sugarcane field in Ahilyanagar (formerly Ahmednagar), Maharashtra, was reunited with its mother because locals immediately informed a wildlife NGO. Experts verified the kitten’s health, secured it safely, and waited for the mother to return. Coordination among the community, the forest department, and trained rescuers led to a successful reunion.

In other cases, rewilding becomes necessary. In 2025, an injured male jungle cat rescued from a forested area could not be reunited with its mother. The forest department provided medical care and rehabilitated it for several months before releasing it into Chennai’s Guindy National Park with a radio collar as part of a soft‑release programme.

Similarly, leopard cat cubs from the Kra Daadi district, Arunachal Pradesh, were handed over by villagers to the Itanagar Zoo. They were later transferred to the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) in Pakke Tiger Reserve, where specialists raised and reintroduced them to the wild. In Pune district, four female jungle cat kittens were rescued from the Otur Forest Range in 2024 and rehabilitated at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre before being soft‑released. In Assam’s Dhubri district, a rescued leopard cat was quickly transferred by the forest department to a rehabilitation unit in Kokrajhar.

Although every Indian state has zoos, encountering a wild animal unexpectedly—whether abandoned or simply exposed due to habitat disturbance—requires contacting the forest department or a trained wildlife NGO, not a zoo. Zoos are not designed for rewilding; rescue centres are.

Yet many such incidents occur in remote locations where people do not know whom to call. As a result, sightings and rescues go unreported. This highlights the urgent need for a national wildlife helpline. Such a helpline could connect callers to experts capable of species identification, link forest departments with conservation NGOs, and facilitate timely transfer of animals to rescue and rehabilitation centres.

Currently, this system does not exist. Rescue efforts rely on ad‑hoc contacts within government departments, which may lack the necessary expertise or manpower. India also faces a shortage of dedicated rescue centres equipped to handle timely intervention, treatment, and rewilding of small cats.

Some believe corporate support can bridge this gap. Public funding and government resources for wildlife outside protected areas are often stretched thin. Corporate‑backed or philanthropic rescue centres could help house animals that cannot be rewilded, such as permanently injured or conflict‑rescued individuals. However, the primary vision must remain intact: keeping wildlife in the wild. Scientific rescue, treatment, monitoring, and rewilding require community participation, continuous awareness, trained wildlife veterinarians, soft‑release facilities, and, above all, political will to build a functioning system beyond protected areas.

Ridhima Solanki is a conservation scientist with a Master’s in Forestry and a PhD in Natural Resources and Wildlife Sciences, with over a decade of experience shaping wildlife policy and practice across India and Southeast Asia. She is currently Program Manager with SAWEN - South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network.

Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth