Fishing cats are semi-aquatic wild felids from South and Southeast Asian wetlands, classified as Vulnerable. Their specialist aquatic habitat needs and relatively aggressive temperament create distinct challenges for zoo welfare management.
Fishing cats denied access to adequate water features in zoo settings cannot express their most characteristic natural behaviour — aquatic hunting — causing significant behavioural deprivation. Enclosures must include water bodies large enough for swimming, with fish provided as live or freshly dead enrichment that activates fishing behaviour. Their confident temperament means they are less easily startled than more cryptic felids, but this same boldness can lead to keeper safety concerns if positive reinforcement training is not implemented. Wild conservation priority is protecting and restoring the freshwater wetlands that constitute their specialist habitat, which are among the most threatened ecosystems in Asia.