Civet

Why in news:

Proceedings in the Kerala High Court were adjourned after it was discovered that palm civets had urinated on the ceiling and air-conditioning ducts, causing a foul smell inside the courtroom. A palm civet was captured from the ceiling by forest personnel. Officials suspect that more civets may be present on the premises due to the court’s proximity to the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary.

UPSC Relevance:

UPSC CSE in prelims examination has focused on Species in news. Every year UPSC had asked at least one question related to species. A case in point is a following PYQ.

UPSC PYQ 2024:

Consider the following:

1. Butterflies
2. Fish
3. Frogs

How many of the above have poisonous species among them?
a) Only one
b) Only two
c) All three
d) None

About Civet:

• Civets are small, cat-like mammals that live in tropical forests.
• Civets are small carnivores in the Viverridae family.
• Civets aren’t cats. But they do have some cat-like features, including a long furry tail, whiskers, and a muzzle.
• Civets have a varied diet, including fruits, small prey, and carrion. 
• Civets play an important role in seed dispersal. They eat fruits and excrete the seeds across their habitat. As such, their decline threatens entire ecosystems. 
• Civets are captured and kept in cruel conditions to sustain the civet coffee trade.
•  IUCN Red List, the Malabar civet is critically endangered.
• Brown palm civets are arboreal (live mainly in trees), nocturnal (active at night)
• There are 8 different species of Wild civets found in India out of which Common Palm civets and Small Indian civets can be spotted across the sub-continent. They are omnivorous and some species are frugivorous too.
• They are absent in the arid zone (Some parts of Gujarat & Rajasthan), and the high Himalayan range of our country. They prefer a scrub, grassland, agricultural area near human habitation.
•  Small Indian civets can be seen at Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Satpura, Panna, in Central India. Also in Western ghats Maám at Bandipur, Madumalai, Annamalai, Br Hills, Parambikulam.

 Small Indian civets:

Malabar Civet:

• Very little is known about the Malabar civet which is endemic to the Western Ghats.
• Critically endangered in the IUCN red list.

Masked Palm Civet (Himalayan Palm Civet):

• Its range varies from the Himalayas to North East India and also in the Andamans in the evergreen and mountain forests. 

Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary:

• Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary in the city of Ernakulam district of Kerala state in India.
• It is located in the heart of Kochi city.
• It is the only bird sanctuary in Kerala which is located in Mangrove forests.