Two Researchers Build a Pond and Film Goa's First Leopard Cat
In short
- Researchers Akshita Pungaliya and Atul Borker built a 40-litre pond near Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary.
- A camera trap recorded a mainland leopard cat drinking there on 7 March 2024.
- The findings were published in IUCN Cat News in 2025 as Goa's first photographic record of the species.
Why the Good News Desk likes this one
The pond was built to test whether animals would use an artificial water source when a seasonal stream dried up each year. The camera recordings showed the water was used and revealed a shy species not previously photographed in the state. The work is run by Vanasa Conservation Foundation, which the two researchers co-founded in 2023 to focus on lesser-known wildlife.
From The Better India
At 12:54 am on 7 March 2024, a small wild cat approached a man-made pond in a forest patch near Goa's Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary. It stopped to drink, unaware that a camera trap beside the water was recording its movements. The camera captured five short video clips, which would soon become an exciting discovery for wildlife researchers Akshita Pungaliya and Atul Borker. The visitor was a mainland leopard cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ), a shy, elusive wild cat that had never been photographically documented in Goa, according to the researchers' published findings. The sighting...
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For kids
A small wild cat came to a little pond in the forest in Goa. A camera hidden nearby took videos of it drinking. Two scientists made the pond to help animals find water when the stream dried up.
