Bettiah: A fishing cat was found injured on the Bagaha-Narkatiaganj section of East Central Railway in West Champaran on Tuesday morning. Acting on information from locals, a forest department team rescued the animal, administered first aid and later released it into the forest. Two forest personnel sustained minor injuries during the operation.Environmental activist Gajendra Yadav said the wild cat had apparently strayed from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve into a residential area. It was first spotted near Vikas Vaibhav Chowk in Pipra village on Monday evening.“I immediately informed the forest department. A rescue team reached the spot and searched for the animal till around 11pm, but could not locate it,” he said.According to Yadav, villagers alerted him around 6am on Tuesday after hearing crows cawing near the railway bridge over the Tirhut canal.“I rushed to the spot along with other villagers and, seeing an animal resembling a tiger, informed the forest department. It initially appeared that the animal had died after being hit by a train, but when the rescue team arrived, it was found to be injured,” he added.Bagaha ranger Shri Malakar said the fishing cat was a rare wild species found across South and Southeast Asia and usually inhabits wetlands, lakes and riverbanks.Malakar said the rescue operation was challenging as it had to be carried out on the railway bridge amid the possibility of an approaching train. Railway Protection Force personnel also reached the spot.“The animal was successfully rescued, given primary treatment and later released safely into the forest,” he added.
The wild cat was found injured on the Bagaha-Narkatiaganj section of East Central Railway in West Champaran on Tuesday morning
