A civet is a nocturnal carnivorous mammal that resembles a raccoon. They share several similarities with cats.
The Malabar large-spotted civet, known as the Malabar civet, is a civet indigenous to the Western Ghats. Its notable features are the white throat and neck, the mane between the shoulders, and the tail with dark ringed bands. These mammals are dark-grey and spot a black mark on the cheeks. Large cross-marks define the back of the body, and the sides flaunt obliquely patterned dark shades.
The species flourished until the 19th century. They could be seen aplenty in the rich wooded lowlands, the elevated forests of the Ghats, and along the stretches of the Malabar Coast and in parts of the old Travancore state.
The population of the species started to decline after being hunted for its musky secretion, which formed a primary aromatic ingredient in the perfume industry.
Widespread deforestation at the beginning of the 20th Century almost pushed the animal to extinction. Thankfully, the animal was spotted both in 1987 and recently, during the Covid lockdown, wandering around an abandoned street in a town in Kerala.
The surveys conducted between 1990 and 2014 have not recorded the presence of the animal at all. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of its alarmingly low numbers.
Picture Credit : Google
