NZs first fishing cats take up residence at Hamilton Zoo

New Zealand's first pair of endangered fishing cats has taken up residence at Hamilton Zoo.

Six-year-old male Besar and 10-year-old female Imphal arrived at Hamilton Zoo last Thursday [16 July] from Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

Besar (which means 'Big' in Malay) was born in Singapore Zoo on 17 September 2002 before moving to Taronga Zoo in July 2005, while Imphal (which is also the name of an Indian city) was born in Melbourne Zoo on 22 October 1998 and moved to Taronga Zoo in February 2005.

A small Asian cat species, fishing cats are eager and skilled swimmers, capable of swimming underwater and for long distances. Fish can form a major part of their diet, however they will also hunt any small mammal, and are quite stocky and strong compared to most small cats.

Listed as endangered, the population of fishing cats in the wild continues to decrease, mainly due to habitat destruction and human over-exploitation of fish stocks.

Hamilton Zoo Director Stephen Standley said Besar and Imphal are the first fishing cats to be imported into New Zealand, and it is hoped they will go on to play a key role in the regional breeding programme.

"Because we have not held this species at Hamilton Zoo before, we have created a set of purpose-built exhibits for the pair which include streams where we expect they will spend a lot of their time," he said.

"We hope Besar and Imphal will feel at home here at Hamilton Zoo and will form a successful breeding pair to help contribute to the regional species management plan and the conservation of the species as a whole."

Besar and Imphal are currently in quarantine in their new exhibits and are visible to the public.