Fishing cats in Colombo's urban wetlands
Colombo, Sri Lanka, supports one of the most urbanised fishing cat populations documented for the species. The Urban Fishing Cat Conservation Project studies how this wetland-associated wild cat persists in a fragmented urban landscape, what risks it faces, and how wetland conservation can support biodiversity, flood regulation, and coexistence.
Project film
Why Colombo's wetlands matter for people and fishing cats
A short claymation film introducing Colombo's urban wetlands, the fishing cats that use them, and why these wetland systems matter for both wildlife and people.
Created by Irushi Tennekoon for the Animate Her Series.
Our work
Research, education, and public engagement for fishing cats and Colombo's wetlands
We combine field research, public reporting, education, and stakeholder engagement to inform conservation action for fishing cats and the urban wetlands they depend on.
Research
We use GPS telemetry, camera traps, field surveys, mortality records, and public sighting reports to study how fishing cats use Colombo's wetland-urban landscape and where they face risk.
Education
We work with schools, communities, students, and public audiences to improve knowledge of fishing cats, wetland biodiversity, and practical coexistence in urban areas.
Engagement
We collaborate with conservation organisations, researchers, government agencies, land managers, and the public to support evidence-based wetland conservation.
Meet the species
A wetland-associated wild cat living inside the city
The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat strongly associated with wetlands. In Colombo, fishing cats use marshes, canals, reed beds, wetland edges, gardens, and other urban spaces. Most activity occurs at night, so many residents live near fishing cats without ever seeing one.
- Status
- Endangered in Sri Lanka · Vulnerable globally
- Habitat in Colombo
- Marshes, canals, reed beds, gardens, and wetland edges across Metropolitan Colombo
- Diet
- Fish, crustaceans, rodents, birds, and other wetland-associated prey
- Activity
- Mostly nocturnal, with movement and hunting often occurring after dark
Colombo's urban wetlands
Wetland conservation supports both wildlife and the city
Colombo's wetlands are part of the city's ecological infrastructure. They store and slow stormwater, filter water, support biodiversity, and provide habitat for species that persist in a highly urbanised landscape.
Fishing cats depend on these wetlands, but they also use the urban matrix around them. Conserving the species therefore requires attention to marshes, canals, reed beds, wetland edges, road crossings, and the remaining routes that allow wildlife to move through the city.
Flood regulation
Urban wetlands temporarily store and slowly release stormwater, reducing flood risk in low-lying parts of the city.
Water quality
Wetland soils and vegetation help trap sediment and filter polluted water as it moves through the urban drainage system.
Biodiversity
Colombo's wetlands support a high diversity of plants and animals, including fishing cats and many other wetland-associated species.
A Colombo-based project
Research grounded in Colombo's wetlands
Our work is based in Colombo and shaped by long-term field research, public reporting, student involvement, institutional collaboration, and partnerships with conservation organisations.
The focus is not only the species, but the wetland system it depends on: marshes, canals, reed beds, wetland edges, and the urban routes that allow wildlife to move through the city.
From the field
Field Notes
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Urban Wildlife Series: Black-naped Hare (Lepus nigricollis singhala)
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Some roar, some purr: A purr-suit into the science of feline vocalizations
Cats, in all shapes and sizes, in all degrees of character, and in every perceivable habitat, represent an…
Media coverage
Research on Colombo's fishing cats has reached local and international audiences.
Featured in
Support the work
Help sustain long-term fishing cat research and wetland conservation in Colombo
Support helps fund camera traps, GPS collars, field surveys, public reporting, education work, and the long-term monitoring needed to guide conservation action.
Sightings, roadkill records, and other public reports help identify where fishing cats occur and where they may be exposed to risk.