Small Indian civet spotted in Qinglonghu National Wetland Park
2025-12-12 19:12:58
By Yan Wanqin
For the first time since its establishment in 2013, Qinglonghu National Wetland Park in Dangyang City has welcomed a rare and secretive visitor—the small Indian civet—captured on infrared camera.
For the first time since its establishment in 2013, Qinglonghu National Wetland Park in Dangyang City has welcomed a rare and secretive visitor—the small Indian civet—captured on infrared camera.
A small Indian civet was captured by infrared cameras in Qinglonghu National Wetland Park. Photo from Dangyang Media Center.
This striking creature, recognized by its brownish-gray coat adorned with dark bands and rows of delicate spots, is classified as a first-class national protected species in China and appears on the IUCN Red List. Highly sensitive to human presence, the civet’s appearance signals a thriving, high-quality habitat.
Nocturnal by nature, it feeds on rodents, birds, fruit, and even snakes, making its home in ground burrows, rocky crevices, and dense thickets.
Centered around the Gonghe Reservoir—a vital drinking water source for Dangyang—the wetland park is also home to other first-class protected species such as the Chinese merganser and black stork, alongside 20 second-class protected species including the goshawk, peregrine falcon, and koklass pheasant.
In recent years, the wetland park has encouraged local farmers to restore forests on land near the waterfront that they use for farming. Green plants have started to grow again on slopes, banks, and exposed areas. This year, they also set up five more infrared cameras in the forest to take pictures of animals at night.
