Albino Palm civet

Context:

An albino common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites) was sighted in Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha after 129 years. It was last sighted in 1891.

About Palm civet-

• The common palm civet is a small mammal belonging to the family Viverridae. 
• It can be found in Southern and Southeastern Asia. 
• Their long, stocky body is covered with coarse, shaggy hair that is usually grey in colour. 
• It is both terrestrial and arboreal, and shows nocturnal activity.
• IUCN status- Least Concern 
• It is listed on CITES Appendix III.
• In Indonesia, it is threatened by poaching and illegal wildlife trade; buyers use it for the increasing production of kopi luwaka form of coffee that involves ingestion and excretion of the beans by the animal.
• Asian palm civets are claimed to be the carrier that transmitted SARS from horseshoe bats to humans.
• It is an omnivore feeding foremost on fruits such as berries and pulpy fruits. 
• It thus helps to maintain tropical forest ecosystems via seed dispersal.
• It also feeds on palm flower sap, which when fermented become palm wine, sweet liquor (“toddy”), hence it is called the toddy cat.

IUCN

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a global union composed of both government as well as civil society organisations. With more than 1400 organisations as its members, the IUCN is an international authority on the status of the natural world. 

• It works in the domain of sustainable development and also recommends measures to tackle the depletion of resources.
• It works to conserve the various species of flora and fauna.
• Its members include States, non-governmental organizations, indigenous peoples’ organisations, experts, government agencies, etc.
• Established in 1948, the IUCN has the tools and knowledge repository to help the world conserve nature and ensure sustainable development.
• When it was first set up in Fontainebleau (France), it was the first international environmental union. Its objective was to promote international cooperation and provide scientific knowledge and tools to aid conservation action.
• It established the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 1964.
• It also played a huge role in the formation of major international conventions such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the World Heritage Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• In 1980, partnering with the UNEP and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the IUCN published the World Conservation Strategy, a document which helped define the concept of ‘sustainable development’ and shaped the global conservation and sustainable development agenda.
• In 1992, in light of the growing environmental concerns, the United Nations granted official observer status to the IUCN.
• Currently, the IUCN is the biggest and most diverse environmental network.

IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List, compiled by the IUCN, is considered the world’s most comprehensive information source about the extinction risk status of plants, animals and fungus species. It gives information about population size, range, habitat, ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions.

About Satkosia Tiger Reserve-

• It is a tiger reserve located in the Angul district of Odisha, India.
• Satkosia Tiger Reserve was designated in 2007, and comprises the Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjacent Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Mahanadi River passes through it in the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests ecoregion.
• The major plant communities are mixed deciduous forests including Sal and riverine forest.
• Mammals found include the leopard, indian wild dog or the (dhole), wild boars , striped hyena, sloth bear, leopard cat and the jungle cat, Asian elephant, Spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer and langurs.
• The reptiles here include the Mugger Crocodile and Gharials, Indian Python.
• The Indian giant squirrel is also found here.

Wildlife sanctuaries and National Park in Odisha

Source: Down to Earth

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