Small Indian civet spotted in Yuan'an Juhe National Wetland Park

By Shen Yuan, Yichang International Communication Studio

Infrared cameras caught a small Indian civet in Yuan'an Juhe National Wetland Park on November 28. It’s the first time the small Indian civet has been seen in Yuan'an.

The video shows a small Indian civet with black stripes and spots and a long black and brown ringed tail walk up to the edge of a pond.

The small Indian civet is a protected animal in China and is listed on the IUCN Red List. It is 53–58 centimeters from head to body with a 38–43 centimeter long tapering tail. The small Indian civet has brownish grey or yellowish brown fur, with several longitudinal black or brown bands on the back and longitudinal rows of spots on the sides.

Small Indian civets are nocturnal, feeding on rats, mice, birds, snakes, fruit, roots and carrion. They inhabit holes in the ground, under rocks or in thick bush.

Lying at the junction of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Yichang is an ecologically sensitive area in the Yangtze River Basin.

In recent years, Yichang has caught small Indian civets on camera many times. They have been photographed in Changyang Bengjianzi National Nature Reserve, Yiling Dalaoling National Nature Reserve and Guping village.