Making Noah's Ark Work for Fishing Cat Conservation: A Blueprint for Connecting Populations across an Interactive Wild Ex Situ Spectrum.

Simple Summary: This study presents an integrated conservation framework for the globally threatened fishing cat, synthesizing both ex situ management and in situ strategies. The strategy aligns with the One Plan Approach, which views captive populations as part of a broader metapopulation network, and the Opportunities to Thrive framework, which emphasizes animal welfare in captivity. This study analyzed the genetic diversity of a recently initiated fishing cat captive breeding population by the West Bengal Zoo Authority, India, and conducted a population viability analysis. The results suggest that the current genetic diversity (56%) and population carrying capacity (30 individuals) can be sustained for over 100 years through a strategy of supplementation and harvesting. Introducing two adult males and females annually will allow for sustainable harvesting to supplement wild populations. Additionally, this study identified 21 potential reintroduction zones in the Sundarbans and Terai regions of West Bengal, using environmental criteria that favor fishing cat occurrence. This work offers a comprehensive blueprint for applying the One Plan Approach to ensure the long-term survival of the fishing cat. The One Plan Approach advocates for a hybrid species management framework, wherein captive-bred populations are considered metapopulations nested within a broader network of zoos and wild populations Additionally, the Opportunities to Thrive framework aims to enhance animal welfare by addressing the physiological, psychological, and emotional needs of captive individuals, thereby improving conservation outcomes. Here, we present an integrated framework for the conservation of a globally threatened wetland wild cat species, the fishing cat, by synthesizing optimal ex situ management practices and in situ conservation strategies. Further, we examined the genetic constitution of the founder population in a fishing cat captive breeding program that was recently initiated by the West Bengal Zoo Authority, India and conducted a population viability analysis to suggest how best to maintain the genetic diversity of the population. We found that the present genetic diversity of 56% and maximum carrying capacity of the captive population (30 individuals) can be maintained for more than 100 years with a combination of supplementation and harvesting. Keeping stochastic events in mind, the introduction of two adult males and females to the existing population each year will seamlessly allow the harvesting of two adult males and two adult females every alternate year to supplement wild populations. Further, we adopted the proposed integrated framework to delineate recommendations for the supplementation of wild populations in West Bengal. We used environmental criteria known to influence fishing cat occurrence to identify 21 potential reintroduction zones in the Sundarbans landscape and Terai region in northern West Bengal with habitable areas for the fishing cat that are larger than the maximum known species' home range. Our study is timely and insightful because it provides a holistic blueprint for implementing the One Plan Approach in safeguarding a threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]