Large Indian Civet Rescued From Garage in Cooch Behar

22 June 2022

On June 22, 2022, HEAL’s Coochbehar team member Ardhendu Banik received a call from a resident of New Town informing him of a civet stuck inside the garage of a neighbour which the locals wanted to be killed.

Swift action was taken and on reaching the spot the civet was identified as an adult male Large Indian Civet. Capturing the civet was not easy. After careful manoeuvring, it was successfully removed from the garage and taken to Coochbehar II Range Office. They were later informed of the presence of two civet cubs in an abandoned house nearby.

The Large Indian Civet is a solitary, nocturnal viverrid found in North-East India and the Dooars of West Bengal. It is a Schedule II species and although classified as Least Concern, its populations are declining due to habitat loss and hunting for fur and consumption in south-east Asia.

Large Indian Civets are quite uncommon and often arouse undue fear. Team members had to pacify the crowd and convince the locals that the civet would do no harm. With their support and understanding it was safely released in the thickets near the abandoned house where the two cubs along with their mother were spotted.

The rescue was covered in an article by The Times of India.