A human-wildlife conflict is on the rise in Kolkata.
At the centre of it is a shy, nocturnal cat-like mammal that is known for its arboreal (tree-dwelling) lifestyle but is also a secret tenant in attics, lofts, ceilings and roofs of old houses.
Although it is an omnivore and hunts for small birds occasionally, its main diet comprises fruits. Which is why it often sneaks into the kitchen in the dark in search of food.
But for most humans, the first — and sudden — sight of the animal is unnerving.
The Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), bham biral in local parlance, has dark eyes, pointed ears and a fox-like snout. It is covered with coarse blackish hair and a long bushy tail, nearly as large as the rest of the animal.
Synonymous with a stinking body odour, the tail of the palm civet hides glands that release a foul smell when the animal feels threatened.
Palm civets have been part of the urban landscape forever, said conservationists and environmental activists.
Old palatial houses in north Kolkata, colonial buildings in the office para of central Kolkata, stylish south Kolkata homes with open porches, balconies, rooftops and small ventilation ducts, and the leafy neighbourhoods of Behala, Jadavpur, Kasba and Garia, their habitat is as diverse as the city itself.
“Basically civet cats are found almost everywhere in Kolkata. But they are being increasingly sighted now because the traditional habitat is shrinking. As trees are being felled and old houses are being pulled down to make way for apartment blocks that are designed to keep all intruders away, the civet cat is struggling to find a place to stay,” said Arjan Basu Roy, secretary of Nature Mates, which has rescued and rehabilitated many civet cats in and around Kolkata.
On March 25, 2013, a palm civet broke through the roof and landed in a courtroom of Kolkata High Court. The forest department took the animal away.
Ordinary Kolkatans have such experiences every now and then.
Last month, a Ballygunge resident woke up past midnight and stopped by the kitchen on her way to the washroom. Upon hearing the sound of utensils clinking, she turned on the kitchen lights.
“I first saw a thick back tail. It was a civet. The animal was on its way out of the window, which I had forgotten to shut. It was carrying a banana in its mouth. It turned back and looked at me before leaping out. I was extremely frightened,” said the woman.
A Behala resident came home from work late at night in October last year. The doors to his terrace were left unhinged. He saw a palm civet perched on a cupboard in a room.
“Moments later, as I entered the room and switched the lights on, the animal jumped on the wall and kept briskly circling the room along the casing for electrical wires. I had never seen something like that before,” said the man. He left the terrace door open and the animal escaped soon.
Palm civets are excellent climbers that enable such movements.
Adapting to the changing architecture, palm civets have also found a way to live here under AC vents and narrow false ceilings.
In being one of the largest seed-dispersing mammals, they are integral to preserving the ecological balance.
But its elusive nature and non-elegant features have contributed to myths that paint an unsavoury picture.
In Kolkata, the civet is accused of stealing andeating babies. In Delhi, it is called a kabr bijju (gravedigger).
“Nothing can be farther from truth. They are harmless. Their mouths are too small to lift a human baby. A palm civet will only attack a human when it is absolutely cornered and threatened. It is too scared of humans,” said Anirban Chaudhuri, a conservationist who has rescued and rehabilitated over 40 palm civet neonates over the last decade.
“A significant section of the palm civets that Kolkatans encounter would be hyperactive moms whoare out in search of foodfor their young,” said Chaudhuri.
Many of the civets rescued in Kolkata are babies.Often, as a building is demolished, a mother flees inpanic, leaving behind litter. Rescuers like Chaudhuri and Basu Roy have on several occasions come across such abandoned babies and raised them until they can fend for themselves.
Newborns are vulnerable — they open their eyeson the 11th day and are usually weaned only after twomonths. The mother then teaches them to climb, forage, and hunt.
Punarbasu Chaudhuri, associate professor of environmental science at Kolkata University, had led an informal study of palm civets at Ballygunge science college a few years ago.
“The images from cameras set up had shown thatcivets were eating from the dustbins. That is a change in their food pattern. Palmcivets will do everything they can to adapt to the changing landscape. That is what made them adapt to AC ducts from large canopies of trees,” he said.
Kalyan Rai, deputy conservator of forests, headquarters, wildlife division, Kolkata, said the wildlife rescue centre in Salt Lake gets around 300 rescued civets every year. “A majority of them are palm civets. We treat them in case of injuries before releasing them into a suitable habitat,” said Rai.