Wild Cats of India (2020): Season 1, Episode 1 - Big Cat Kingdom - full transcript
NARRATOR: India, a country
known more for its people
than for its
spectacular wildlife.
(squawking)
(growling)
SANDESH: This is one of the most
overpopulated parts of the country.
NARRATOR: But if you
know where to look,
there's wildlife hidden
in every nook and cranny.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: This looks like
ideal Pallas cat habitat.
Wow.
NARRATOR: Sandesh Kadur, a
National Geographic Explorer
and wildlife filmmaker,
is on a mission to uncover
the secretive lives of
India's smallest wild cats.
SANDESH (off-screen):
They are fierce.
(snarling)
SANDESH (off-screen):
They are fast.
And sometimes, they are furious.
NARRATOR: More than anything,
the small wild cats of India
are elusive, evasive,
and incredibly difficult
to find in the wild.
SANDESH (off-screen): I'll need to
use every trick and technique I know
to catch these cats on camera.
SANDESH: Oh, my
god! Look at that.
What do we have there?
NARRATOR: But it won't be easy.
SANDESH: It's going
to be a tight squeeze.
(growling)
(theme music plays)
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: India is home to ten
of the world's small cat species,
more than any other country.
They live in nearly
every habitat.
From humid, dense jungles
to the dry, cold
deserts of the Himalaya.
Sandesh is on a journey
to bring these little-known
little felines to life.
Ladakh, a land of high passes
and astonishing contrast.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: The freezing
winters and hot, dry summers
make it tough to survive here.
This is the kingdom
of the Pallas's cat.
When the Pallas's cat was
first described in 1776,
this grumpy-looking
cat was believed to be
the ancestor of the Persian cat.
But later comparison
showed there's no relation.
Sandesh is here to find out more
about this mysterious,
misunderstood small cat.
SANDESH: We're here in Ladakh.
This is the Trans-Himalaya.
This is supposed to be the rain shadow
region with very little rainfall.
But look at this.
I've never seen
anything like it.
NARRATOR: The unexpected
rain has washed out the road.
SANDESH: There's been
some pretty heavy rainfall
up in the mountains, and it's
washed off the road completely.
We just got stuck in
the middle of that.
The water levels are rising,
and the four-wheel
drive quit working.
So it was pretty intense just getting
that vehicle back out of there!
That was pretty scary.
NARRATOR: Sandesh's search for the
Pallas's cat will have to wait.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: With the
weather cleared,
Sandesh heads east,
to the high-elevation
cold desert of Changthang.
This is one of the
few places in India
where he might possibly
catch a glimpse
of the incredibly
rare Pallas's cat.
(birds squawking)
(bell clanging)
NARRATOR: The nomadic
people here, the Changpas,
have grazed their livestock across
this landscape for generations.
SANDESH: If anyone has seen
a Pallas's cat up close,
it would be them.
Jullay, jullay!
(speaking Ladakhi)
♪ ♪
SANDESH: So after
having questioned
many, many, many shepherds,
no one seems to have
seen the Pallas's cat.
To find them, I'll first
have to find what they eat.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: Summer on
the Changthang Plateau
is a busy time for
the local wildlife.
(shrieking)
NARRATOR: Marmots, the largest
rodent found in the Trans-Himalaya,
about the same size
as a Pallas's cat,
but double the weight!
(shrieking)
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: Though cats
sometimes take over its burrow,
they don't usually attack
or eat adult marmots.
The Pallas's cat prefers
more bite-size rodents:
voles.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: Wow.
Look at the number
of vole holes here.
This is what the
Pallas is after.
SANDESH (off-screen): This rocky outcrop
in the middle of this lush meadow
may be just the right place for
the Pallas's cat to hide out.
SANDESH: This looks like
ideal Pallas cat habitat.
It's got lots of little
caves, interconnected,
and small caves that even
red foxes can't get into.
NARRATOR: A fox, one of the
Pallas's cat's main predators,
might also be waiting for the
cat to make an appearance.
SANDESH: One thing unique
about the Pallas's cat
is that it's known to have
a habitual latrine spot,
and this looks just
like one of those.
Good place to set
up a camera trap.
Why does this cat have to
live all the way up here?
Okay, done.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: The local people
have never seen it,
our camera traps are
not getting them,
and there's very
little information
about where to go
to find this cat.
NARRATOR: The shy cats don't
welcome human intrusion.
Sandesh needs to blend
into the background.
He'll wait in a hide
to see if that helps.
A male Pallas's cat can have a
whopping 39-square-mile range.
No wonder they're hard to find.
It takes 20 days, but
finally, out of nowhere,
the Pallas's cat
makes an appearance.
SANDESH: Wow, look at him.
He's just sitting there
on top of that hill,
and you can barely make him out.
He's got these rounded ears
that lie flat on the
side of his head,
and that's one of his most
distinguishing features.
As a matter of fact, his
scientific name, Otocolobus,
in Greek means "ugly-eared,"
probably not one
of the best names
for this beautiful-looking cat.
It looks like there are two
of them, one with a cut tail.
I mean, he's so furry, the
Pallas's cat has a coat
that's longer and denser than
any other feline out there.
That's one of its most
incredible features.
It makes the cat highly
adaptable to this environment;
minus 30 in the winter, and
this cat doesn't flinch.
This is its home, 15,000
feet high up in the Himalaya.
NARRATOR: All of a
sudden something triggers
the attention of
the Pallas's cat.
It's time to play.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
SANDESH: I cannot believe it.
I've just seen and filmed
one of India's most
incredible small cats.
NARRATOR: Sandesh says
goodbye to the Pallas's cat.
But there are even more elusive
small cats out there to find.
NARRATOR: From the kingdom
of the Pallas's cat
at 15,000 feet up
in the Himalaya,
Sandesh travels
to near sea level,
where an amazing small
cat makes its home
right next door to people.
On the surface, this landscape
of plantations and ponds
may seem ideal for a
cat that loves fish.
But that may not be the case.
(horns honking)
SANDESH: This is one of
the most overpopulated
parts of the country:
Eastern India.
Whoa.
NARRATOR: Sandesh
is in West Bengal,
where the fishing cat
is the state animal.
(horn honking)
SANDESH (off-screen):
I'm here to visit Bappa,
a local businessman with
a passion for wildlife.
He has some amazing intel
of a fishing cat he's seen.
BAPPA: Hello, hello, Mr. Kadur.
SANDESH: Oh, Bappa!
BAPPA: How are you?
SANDESH (off-screen): I'm eager
to see what Bappa has for me.
But first, a cup of chai.
I've never seen a
fishing cat in my life,
and I know how hard it is to
find any small cat in the wild.
(speaking native language)
SANDESH (off-screen): Bappa tells me
that a fishing cat visits his pond
and catches dinner every night.
I'm not sure I believe him.
And then he shows me proof.
Bappa managed to get one on
camera right in his own backyard.
SANDESH: This fishing cat
is out in broad daylight,
walking through the banana
plantation in his backyard,
just totally oblivious.
What an incredible cat.
NARRATOR: But too often,
this wild cat's proximity
with people doesn't end well.
(hissing)
NARRATOR: Even though the
fishing cat is the state animal
of West Bengal, some
people fear it and kill it.
But in this case, Bappa
convinced the local people
to release this one
back into the wild.
Not everyone is hostile.
Nearby, a human family
protected a fishing cat mother
busy raising her feline family.
SANDESH: Incredible how this
feline manages to survive,
not just survive, thrive, in
this human-dominated landscape.
NARRATOR: Later that night, while
people of the village get ready for bed,
Sandesh gets ready
for a stakeout.
SANDESH: The fishing
cat is nocturnal,
and in order to see one,
I'm going to have to
be nocturnal as well.
But I can't see at night.
I've set up infrared lights
all along the outer bank.
NARRATOR: The cat can't see
infrared and neither can Sandesh.
SANDESH: The only way for me to
see them is through this camera.
These are my eyes into
the nocturnal world
of the fishing cat.
So, fingers crossed, it shows up
and I can film it
with this camera.
NARRATOR: The camera reveals
a secret nighttime world.
A jungle cat prowls the edges
looking for an unwary rodent.
A family of jackal walk by.
A palm civet.
But no sign of the fishing cat.
SANDESH: It's 2:00
in the morning,
and the fishing cat
has just shown up.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: What I'd really like
to do is watch a fishing cat
live up to its name.
I want to see a
fishing cat catch fish.
NARRATOR: The fishing
cat lives in marshy land
and won't hesitate
to get its paws wet.
In fact, it can swim a
good distance underwater.
Aside from that, the
fishing cat is strangely
not very well adapted
for catching fish.
It has webbed front paws,
but they're only slightly
webbed, like a bobcat's.
Its claws aren't
particularly long,
nor its molars
particularly sharp.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: No wonder he has
such a hard time catching fish.
What the fishing cat
really needs is patience
and perhaps a higher
vantage point.
SANDESH: The fishing
cat is perched
right on the roots
of a coconut tree.
There's lots of fish.
Doesn't know where to jump.
The amount of patience
they must have,
the amount of
concentration, focus,
to just wait there for hours.
You can see how their
muscles are just...
Ooh, there he goes,
there he goes.
(splash)
NARRATOR: After
watching for hours,
Sandesh finally gets
the shot he came for:
a fishing cat catching fish.
(splash)
SANDESH: Ooh, there he
goes, there he goes.
He did it.
He jumped in, got something
and quickly went out.
He waited for so long, so
long sitting on the bank,
saw a fish come up close,
jumped in, grabbed it,
and out the water, he's gone.
That was definitely
worth the wait.
It's good to see that the
fishing cat has carved out
a niche living in our shadow,
sharing our resources.
This cat reminds us of our
encroachment into their world
and the importance of saving
this shrinking wetland habitat.
NARRATOR: From the wetlands
of the fishing cat,
Sandesh travels 1,200
miles west to Gujarat,
where a feline thrives
in one of the driest and
harshest landscapes of India.
Here, rock and cactus rule.
Surface temperatures can
top 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
The creatures live underground
and surface mostly at night.
They get the moisture they
need from what they eat.
Here, in Gujarat, Sandesh
seeks the closest known
ancestor of the housecat.
(meow)
NARRATOR: Cats may have domesticated
themselves over 4,000 years ago
by hanging out around villages
and performing pest control.
Domestic cats still resemble
their wild ancestors.
So reports of an
Asiatic wildcat sighting
often turn out to be just
another domestic tabby.
But this report was different.
SANDESH: That's definitely an
Asiatic wildcat, our desert cat.
VIKRAMSINH: Oh. Sure?
SANDESH: Oh, yes. 100%.
SANDESH: What is it eating?
VIKRAMSINH: It's eating
a Grey Francolin!
SANDESH: Okay. VIKRAMSINH: You
see the feathers are there.
SANDESH: So I'm with Mr. Vikramsinh
Soda, here in Gujarat.
And just two days ago he's had the
most amazing sighting of a desert cat.
Shall we go and find it?
VIKRAMSINH: Yes, definitely.
SANDESH: Alright, let's go.
(engine starts)
SANDESH (off-screen): Vikram's taking
me to the spot where he saw the cat.
Seeing his footage gives me hope
that it may still be around.
And there are other signs.
Oh, oh.
Oh, look here. Wow.
VIKRAM: Yes, yes, yes.
SANDESH: Fresh pugmark.
Can just barely see
its imprint right here.
We've just found a fresh
pugmark of what we assume to be
the desert cat that
Vikram saw a few days ago.
That's great, so now for
an all-night stakeout
to look for this cat.
NARRATOR: And
from the darkness,
out it comes to
sit upon the rock.
SANDESH: And this cat
is absolutely gorgeous.
I mean, look at it, it looks
like a miniature leopard.
And this is incredible.
This is the first time I've
ever seen one out in the wild.
Oh, there he comes again.
NARRATOR: Suddenly the cat's
on the move, on a mission.
Desert cats are
highly nocturnal,
especially in the summer when
they go after nighttime animals.
SANDESH: Oh, he's
just gotten up.
Coming towards us.
He's out on a hunt.
Look at that. Look
at that focus.
Looks like he's going after
that little flying insect.
Oh, yeah.
NARRATOR: He not only
looks like a domestic cat,
he even acts like one.
SANDESH: Seems to be a juvenile,
very inquisitive, just
hunting, foraging.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: From the dry
deserts of Western India,
Sandesh heads south
to the Deccan Plateau.
An ancient landscape of thorn
scrub and granite boulders
more than 2 billion years old.
Home to a surprising
variety of animals.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: King of the hill
is the ferocious jungle cat,
about the size of
a large housecat.
SANDESH: The jungle cat might be one
of India's most common feline species,
but seeing one in the
wild is not so common.
NARRATOR: The Deccan Plateau has a
large population of these little cats,
but their home within these
rocks was almost lost.
A Hindu priest tells Sandesh that a
powerful god dwells amongst these rocks.
(speaking native language)
SANDESH (off-screen): He
tells me that a few years ago,
a mining company started
dynamiting the boulders
for construction material.
But the local people fought
hard for their temple.
And for now, the deity of
the rocks has prevailed.
SANDESH: Last couple of days
I have been sitting here
looking like a bush, and
you won't believe it,
but right here, I'm surrounded
by over a dozen jungle cats.
(meow)
SANDESH: Normally
you see a jungle cat
and it's gone before
you even say jungle cat,
and here I've been
spending hours with them.
They sleep a lot.
Maybe I should write
a paper on that.
SANDESH (off-screen): The top
cat in this pile of boulders
is one big, badass male,
half blind in one eye.
He probably got
injured in a fight.
NARRATOR: They may be
called jungle cats,
but these rugged felines,
with long legs and
large, pointy ears,
thrive wherever
they have a mind to,
from swamps and grasslands
to the rocks here.
By midday the Deccan
Plateau starts heating up,
and there is not much else to do
but lay down for
a little catnap.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: And where better to stay
cool than in the depth of the caves?
When the air cools,
that's the kittens'
cue to start exploring.
They've got company.
A family of Indian foxes.
The pups and the kittens keep
a close eye on each other
but keep their distance.
They both have bigger
things to worry about.
A raptor.
They all know the drill.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: Once the raptor is
gone, it's playtime again.
Playing hones their
hunting skills.
They may depend on
their mother for now,
but in nine months
they'll be on their own.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: It's a good
life to be a jungle cat
amidst these holy boulders.
All a jungle cat needs is a
small pile of rocks to call home,
and they'll help the farmers
by keeping check on
the rodent population.
SANDESH (off-screen): I'm very thankful
the local people have fought off
the stone destruction and protected
these boulders so full of life.
NARRATOR: From the
land of the jungle cat,
Sandesh heads 700 miles north
to another rocky landscape.
This is leopard territory.
But while leopards
get all the press,
they share this place with
one of the least known
of all felines:
the rusty-spotted cat.
SANDESH: I've rushed up
here to northwestern India,
because I've just heard news
of the rusty-spotted cat.
It's India's smallest cat,
and it's been giving
me my biggest headache.
NARRATOR: Sandesh has come
to meet with his friend,
wildlife photographer
Shatrunjay,
who managed to photograph
the notoriously elusive cat.
SHATRUNJAY: You've got
to see it to believe it.
SANDESH: Oh, yes, that
is a rusty-spotted cat!
Well done!
NARRATOR: Weighing only
three and a half pounds,
the rusty-spotted cat is one of
the smallest cats in the world,
and the smallest in India.
SANDESH (off-screen): As
if that wasn't enough,
Shatrunjay shows me
another stunning picture
that a guest photographed
just a few days ago.
SANDESH: This is great,
this is incredible.
Have you been putting
any camera traps out?
SHATRUNJAY: Oh, we've
done a few camera traps.
SANDESH: Shall we
go out and find it?
SHATRUNJAY: Let's do it!
SANDESH: Alright.
SHATRUNJAY: Can't wait.
NARRATOR: These hills are
Shatrunjay's backyard.
He knows every single
rockpile for miles around.
And now he is taking Sandesh to
one particular pile of boulders,
a maze of cracks and
granite crevices.
SANDESH: These boulders are
home to many species of cats.
An old piece of bone here.
There's obviously
something's made a kill,
most likely a leopard.
Wow.
It's gonna be a tight squeeze.
NARRATOR: Sandesh
sets the camera traps
where Shatrunjay saw his
first rusty-spotted cat.
Their habits are a mystery,
but they're believed
to be mainly nocturnal.
SANDESH: Now it's time
to wait it out all night
with this special
infrared camera equipment.
It's coming up the tree.
Oh, there he is. Yes.
Oh, this is so adorable.
One other reason why people
hardly ever get to
see this small cat
is because they're
highly arboreal
and they spend a lot of
their time sitting on trees.
This is also where they
hunt small birds, geckos,
and even insects.
Oh, look at that,
he's just gotten up.
To cool themselves down
they lick their fur.
It allows the
saliva to evaporate.
NARRATOR: While Sandesh is
filming the sleeping spotted cat,
his camera traps
catch quite a show.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: From the boulders of the
rusty-spotted cat in Rajasthan,
Sandesh heads just
over 1,200 miles east
into the remote northeastern
corner of India.
This land of jungle and mist
is the kingdom of the
biggest of the small cats,
or the smallest of the big cats,
depending on how you look at it.
The clouded leopard.
Named for its
cloud-like blotches,
clouded leopards have
the largest canines
in proportion to their
skull size of all cats,
earning them the nickname
"modern-day saber-tooth."
Finding this feline in the wild has
been a lifelong dream for Sandesh.
SANDESH (off-screen): A few years
ago, I was part of a project
that helped two orphaned
clouded leopards.
Over the course of two years,
I followed them as they grew up
from helpless balls of fur
to mischievous youngsters...
Until finally they
returned to the wild.
SANDESH: Clouded leopards live in
this amazingly dense rain forest.
It's a claustrophobic world,
and trying to even get a glimpse
of the clouded leopard
is next to impossible.
NARRATOR: Sandesh
consults an expert.
Priya Singh, a
wildlife biologist,
has dedicated the last few years
to studying clouded
leopards in the wild.
But she's not
exactly encouraging.
SANDESH: How do you decide
where to set up a camera trap?
PRIYA: Being carnivores, if they are
to move through the forest floor,
they would prefer open
trails like these.
Just going to show
you what we got.
SANDESH: Oh! A
clouded leopard!
So what are my chances
of seeing and filming
a clouded leopard out here?
PRIYA: I spent four months
here, and I was in the forest
almost five days of the
week, and I never saw one.
Your only chance of
seeing a clouded leopard
is through a camera trap.
SANDESH: Okay, well,
let's get to work.
NARRATOR: Sandesh's web
of cameras is now set up
all over the forest.
SANDESH (off-screen): While I wait
for the camera traps to do their job,
I still want to try and see a
clouded leopard with my own eyes
and perhaps even film it.
I've got my food supplies,
bananas, fruit and nut,
IR lights, camera,
everything ready.
Now I just need our
main actor to show up.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
SANDESH: And still, no sign
of the clouded leopard.
NARRATOR: One week later, it's
time to check the camera traps.
SANDESH: Look what we have here.
A scrape mark.
A scrape mark is an indication
that one of the cats has
walked along this trail.
Right close to one
of our camera traps.
This is most likely
a clouded leopard.
Let's go check the camera trap.
(barking)
SANDESH: That's a
barking deer alarm call
indicating that there's
some movement of a predator
just down the ridge.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: Leopard! Oh, my god!
Look at that!
It's crossed the
log right there!
Yes!
We have a clouded leopard.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Okay, now we have to
check the big camera.
NARRATOR: Finally,
after all these years,
Sandesh has managed to
capture a clouded leopard
on camera in the wild.
SANDESH: Oh, my
god, look at that.
What do we have there?
A clouded leopard.
That is just insane!
NARRATOR: With large paws
for gripping branches
and specialized ankle joints
that help them climb
down trees headfirst,
clouded leopards are perfectly
at home high up in the canopy.
SANDESH: This is spectacular.
This is the shot I've
been waiting for.
Okay, I guess we can
pack up and go now.
NARRATOR: Although new
technology is slowly helping us
reveal a clouded leopard
from the darkness,
its secretive life is yet
to be fully uncovered.
It's good to know that
there are still some felines
that like to keep their secrets.
SANDESH: This adventure has
given me the opportunity
to come face to face
with some of the least
known animals on the planet.
NARRATOR: The small cats of India
spend their lives in hiding.
Most people have never heard
of them nor will ever see one.
Yet, it's only when we
know more about them,
can we even think
about saving them.
SANDESH (off-screen): I
can't wait to come back
and uncover more secrets
of India's small cats.
Captioned by Cotter
Captioning Services.
known more for its people
than for its
spectacular wildlife.
(squawking)
(growling)
SANDESH: This is one of the most
overpopulated parts of the country.
NARRATOR: But if you
know where to look,
there's wildlife hidden
in every nook and cranny.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: This looks like
ideal Pallas cat habitat.
Wow.
NARRATOR: Sandesh Kadur, a
National Geographic Explorer
and wildlife filmmaker,
is on a mission to uncover
the secretive lives of
India's smallest wild cats.
SANDESH (off-screen):
They are fierce.
(snarling)
SANDESH (off-screen):
They are fast.
And sometimes, they are furious.
NARRATOR: More than anything,
the small wild cats of India
are elusive, evasive,
and incredibly difficult
to find in the wild.
SANDESH (off-screen): I'll need to
use every trick and technique I know
to catch these cats on camera.
SANDESH: Oh, my
god! Look at that.
What do we have there?
NARRATOR: But it won't be easy.
SANDESH: It's going
to be a tight squeeze.
(growling)
(theme music plays)
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: India is home to ten
of the world's small cat species,
more than any other country.
They live in nearly
every habitat.
From humid, dense jungles
to the dry, cold
deserts of the Himalaya.
Sandesh is on a journey
to bring these little-known
little felines to life.
Ladakh, a land of high passes
and astonishing contrast.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: The freezing
winters and hot, dry summers
make it tough to survive here.
This is the kingdom
of the Pallas's cat.
When the Pallas's cat was
first described in 1776,
this grumpy-looking
cat was believed to be
the ancestor of the Persian cat.
But later comparison
showed there's no relation.
Sandesh is here to find out more
about this mysterious,
misunderstood small cat.
SANDESH: We're here in Ladakh.
This is the Trans-Himalaya.
This is supposed to be the rain shadow
region with very little rainfall.
But look at this.
I've never seen
anything like it.
NARRATOR: The unexpected
rain has washed out the road.
SANDESH: There's been
some pretty heavy rainfall
up in the mountains, and it's
washed off the road completely.
We just got stuck in
the middle of that.
The water levels are rising,
and the four-wheel
drive quit working.
So it was pretty intense just getting
that vehicle back out of there!
That was pretty scary.
NARRATOR: Sandesh's search for the
Pallas's cat will have to wait.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: With the
weather cleared,
Sandesh heads east,
to the high-elevation
cold desert of Changthang.
This is one of the
few places in India
where he might possibly
catch a glimpse
of the incredibly
rare Pallas's cat.
(birds squawking)
(bell clanging)
NARRATOR: The nomadic
people here, the Changpas,
have grazed their livestock across
this landscape for generations.
SANDESH: If anyone has seen
a Pallas's cat up close,
it would be them.
Jullay, jullay!
(speaking Ladakhi)
♪ ♪
SANDESH: So after
having questioned
many, many, many shepherds,
no one seems to have
seen the Pallas's cat.
To find them, I'll first
have to find what they eat.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: Summer on
the Changthang Plateau
is a busy time for
the local wildlife.
(shrieking)
NARRATOR: Marmots, the largest
rodent found in the Trans-Himalaya,
about the same size
as a Pallas's cat,
but double the weight!
(shrieking)
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: Though cats
sometimes take over its burrow,
they don't usually attack
or eat adult marmots.
The Pallas's cat prefers
more bite-size rodents:
voles.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: Wow.
Look at the number
of vole holes here.
This is what the
Pallas is after.
SANDESH (off-screen): This rocky outcrop
in the middle of this lush meadow
may be just the right place for
the Pallas's cat to hide out.
SANDESH: This looks like
ideal Pallas cat habitat.
It's got lots of little
caves, interconnected,
and small caves that even
red foxes can't get into.
NARRATOR: A fox, one of the
Pallas's cat's main predators,
might also be waiting for the
cat to make an appearance.
SANDESH: One thing unique
about the Pallas's cat
is that it's known to have
a habitual latrine spot,
and this looks just
like one of those.
Good place to set
up a camera trap.
Why does this cat have to
live all the way up here?
Okay, done.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: The local people
have never seen it,
our camera traps are
not getting them,
and there's very
little information
about where to go
to find this cat.
NARRATOR: The shy cats don't
welcome human intrusion.
Sandesh needs to blend
into the background.
He'll wait in a hide
to see if that helps.
A male Pallas's cat can have a
whopping 39-square-mile range.
No wonder they're hard to find.
It takes 20 days, but
finally, out of nowhere,
the Pallas's cat
makes an appearance.
SANDESH: Wow, look at him.
He's just sitting there
on top of that hill,
and you can barely make him out.
He's got these rounded ears
that lie flat on the
side of his head,
and that's one of his most
distinguishing features.
As a matter of fact, his
scientific name, Otocolobus,
in Greek means "ugly-eared,"
probably not one
of the best names
for this beautiful-looking cat.
It looks like there are two
of them, one with a cut tail.
I mean, he's so furry, the
Pallas's cat has a coat
that's longer and denser than
any other feline out there.
That's one of its most
incredible features.
It makes the cat highly
adaptable to this environment;
minus 30 in the winter, and
this cat doesn't flinch.
This is its home, 15,000
feet high up in the Himalaya.
NARRATOR: All of a
sudden something triggers
the attention of
the Pallas's cat.
It's time to play.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
SANDESH: I cannot believe it.
I've just seen and filmed
one of India's most
incredible small cats.
NARRATOR: Sandesh says
goodbye to the Pallas's cat.
But there are even more elusive
small cats out there to find.
NARRATOR: From the kingdom
of the Pallas's cat
at 15,000 feet up
in the Himalaya,
Sandesh travels
to near sea level,
where an amazing small
cat makes its home
right next door to people.
On the surface, this landscape
of plantations and ponds
may seem ideal for a
cat that loves fish.
But that may not be the case.
(horns honking)
SANDESH: This is one of
the most overpopulated
parts of the country:
Eastern India.
Whoa.
NARRATOR: Sandesh
is in West Bengal,
where the fishing cat
is the state animal.
(horn honking)
SANDESH (off-screen):
I'm here to visit Bappa,
a local businessman with
a passion for wildlife.
He has some amazing intel
of a fishing cat he's seen.
BAPPA: Hello, hello, Mr. Kadur.
SANDESH: Oh, Bappa!
BAPPA: How are you?
SANDESH (off-screen): I'm eager
to see what Bappa has for me.
But first, a cup of chai.
I've never seen a
fishing cat in my life,
and I know how hard it is to
find any small cat in the wild.
(speaking native language)
SANDESH (off-screen): Bappa tells me
that a fishing cat visits his pond
and catches dinner every night.
I'm not sure I believe him.
And then he shows me proof.
Bappa managed to get one on
camera right in his own backyard.
SANDESH: This fishing cat
is out in broad daylight,
walking through the banana
plantation in his backyard,
just totally oblivious.
What an incredible cat.
NARRATOR: But too often,
this wild cat's proximity
with people doesn't end well.
(hissing)
NARRATOR: Even though the
fishing cat is the state animal
of West Bengal, some
people fear it and kill it.
But in this case, Bappa
convinced the local people
to release this one
back into the wild.
Not everyone is hostile.
Nearby, a human family
protected a fishing cat mother
busy raising her feline family.
SANDESH: Incredible how this
feline manages to survive,
not just survive, thrive, in
this human-dominated landscape.
NARRATOR: Later that night, while
people of the village get ready for bed,
Sandesh gets ready
for a stakeout.
SANDESH: The fishing
cat is nocturnal,
and in order to see one,
I'm going to have to
be nocturnal as well.
But I can't see at night.
I've set up infrared lights
all along the outer bank.
NARRATOR: The cat can't see
infrared and neither can Sandesh.
SANDESH: The only way for me to
see them is through this camera.
These are my eyes into
the nocturnal world
of the fishing cat.
So, fingers crossed, it shows up
and I can film it
with this camera.
NARRATOR: The camera reveals
a secret nighttime world.
A jungle cat prowls the edges
looking for an unwary rodent.
A family of jackal walk by.
A palm civet.
But no sign of the fishing cat.
SANDESH: It's 2:00
in the morning,
and the fishing cat
has just shown up.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: What I'd really like
to do is watch a fishing cat
live up to its name.
I want to see a
fishing cat catch fish.
NARRATOR: The fishing
cat lives in marshy land
and won't hesitate
to get its paws wet.
In fact, it can swim a
good distance underwater.
Aside from that, the
fishing cat is strangely
not very well adapted
for catching fish.
It has webbed front paws,
but they're only slightly
webbed, like a bobcat's.
Its claws aren't
particularly long,
nor its molars
particularly sharp.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: No wonder he has
such a hard time catching fish.
What the fishing cat
really needs is patience
and perhaps a higher
vantage point.
SANDESH: The fishing
cat is perched
right on the roots
of a coconut tree.
There's lots of fish.
Doesn't know where to jump.
The amount of patience
they must have,
the amount of
concentration, focus,
to just wait there for hours.
You can see how their
muscles are just...
Ooh, there he goes,
there he goes.
(splash)
NARRATOR: After
watching for hours,
Sandesh finally gets
the shot he came for:
a fishing cat catching fish.
(splash)
SANDESH: Ooh, there he
goes, there he goes.
He did it.
He jumped in, got something
and quickly went out.
He waited for so long, so
long sitting on the bank,
saw a fish come up close,
jumped in, grabbed it,
and out the water, he's gone.
That was definitely
worth the wait.
It's good to see that the
fishing cat has carved out
a niche living in our shadow,
sharing our resources.
This cat reminds us of our
encroachment into their world
and the importance of saving
this shrinking wetland habitat.
NARRATOR: From the wetlands
of the fishing cat,
Sandesh travels 1,200
miles west to Gujarat,
where a feline thrives
in one of the driest and
harshest landscapes of India.
Here, rock and cactus rule.
Surface temperatures can
top 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
The creatures live underground
and surface mostly at night.
They get the moisture they
need from what they eat.
Here, in Gujarat, Sandesh
seeks the closest known
ancestor of the housecat.
(meow)
NARRATOR: Cats may have domesticated
themselves over 4,000 years ago
by hanging out around villages
and performing pest control.
Domestic cats still resemble
their wild ancestors.
So reports of an
Asiatic wildcat sighting
often turn out to be just
another domestic tabby.
But this report was different.
SANDESH: That's definitely an
Asiatic wildcat, our desert cat.
VIKRAMSINH: Oh. Sure?
SANDESH: Oh, yes. 100%.
SANDESH: What is it eating?
VIKRAMSINH: It's eating
a Grey Francolin!
SANDESH: Okay. VIKRAMSINH: You
see the feathers are there.
SANDESH: So I'm with Mr. Vikramsinh
Soda, here in Gujarat.
And just two days ago he's had the
most amazing sighting of a desert cat.
Shall we go and find it?
VIKRAMSINH: Yes, definitely.
SANDESH: Alright, let's go.
(engine starts)
SANDESH (off-screen): Vikram's taking
me to the spot where he saw the cat.
Seeing his footage gives me hope
that it may still be around.
And there are other signs.
Oh, oh.
Oh, look here. Wow.
VIKRAM: Yes, yes, yes.
SANDESH: Fresh pugmark.
Can just barely see
its imprint right here.
We've just found a fresh
pugmark of what we assume to be
the desert cat that
Vikram saw a few days ago.
That's great, so now for
an all-night stakeout
to look for this cat.
NARRATOR: And
from the darkness,
out it comes to
sit upon the rock.
SANDESH: And this cat
is absolutely gorgeous.
I mean, look at it, it looks
like a miniature leopard.
And this is incredible.
This is the first time I've
ever seen one out in the wild.
Oh, there he comes again.
NARRATOR: Suddenly the cat's
on the move, on a mission.
Desert cats are
highly nocturnal,
especially in the summer when
they go after nighttime animals.
SANDESH: Oh, he's
just gotten up.
Coming towards us.
He's out on a hunt.
Look at that. Look
at that focus.
Looks like he's going after
that little flying insect.
Oh, yeah.
NARRATOR: He not only
looks like a domestic cat,
he even acts like one.
SANDESH: Seems to be a juvenile,
very inquisitive, just
hunting, foraging.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: From the dry
deserts of Western India,
Sandesh heads south
to the Deccan Plateau.
An ancient landscape of thorn
scrub and granite boulders
more than 2 billion years old.
Home to a surprising
variety of animals.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: King of the hill
is the ferocious jungle cat,
about the size of
a large housecat.
SANDESH: The jungle cat might be one
of India's most common feline species,
but seeing one in the
wild is not so common.
NARRATOR: The Deccan Plateau has a
large population of these little cats,
but their home within these
rocks was almost lost.
A Hindu priest tells Sandesh that a
powerful god dwells amongst these rocks.
(speaking native language)
SANDESH (off-screen): He
tells me that a few years ago,
a mining company started
dynamiting the boulders
for construction material.
But the local people fought
hard for their temple.
And for now, the deity of
the rocks has prevailed.
SANDESH: Last couple of days
I have been sitting here
looking like a bush, and
you won't believe it,
but right here, I'm surrounded
by over a dozen jungle cats.
(meow)
SANDESH: Normally
you see a jungle cat
and it's gone before
you even say jungle cat,
and here I've been
spending hours with them.
They sleep a lot.
Maybe I should write
a paper on that.
SANDESH (off-screen): The top
cat in this pile of boulders
is one big, badass male,
half blind in one eye.
He probably got
injured in a fight.
NARRATOR: They may be
called jungle cats,
but these rugged felines,
with long legs and
large, pointy ears,
thrive wherever
they have a mind to,
from swamps and grasslands
to the rocks here.
By midday the Deccan
Plateau starts heating up,
and there is not much else to do
but lay down for
a little catnap.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: And where better to stay
cool than in the depth of the caves?
When the air cools,
that's the kittens'
cue to start exploring.
They've got company.
A family of Indian foxes.
The pups and the kittens keep
a close eye on each other
but keep their distance.
They both have bigger
things to worry about.
A raptor.
They all know the drill.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: Once the raptor is
gone, it's playtime again.
Playing hones their
hunting skills.
They may depend on
their mother for now,
but in nine months
they'll be on their own.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: It's a good
life to be a jungle cat
amidst these holy boulders.
All a jungle cat needs is a
small pile of rocks to call home,
and they'll help the farmers
by keeping check on
the rodent population.
SANDESH (off-screen): I'm very thankful
the local people have fought off
the stone destruction and protected
these boulders so full of life.
NARRATOR: From the
land of the jungle cat,
Sandesh heads 700 miles north
to another rocky landscape.
This is leopard territory.
But while leopards
get all the press,
they share this place with
one of the least known
of all felines:
the rusty-spotted cat.
SANDESH: I've rushed up
here to northwestern India,
because I've just heard news
of the rusty-spotted cat.
It's India's smallest cat,
and it's been giving
me my biggest headache.
NARRATOR: Sandesh has come
to meet with his friend,
wildlife photographer
Shatrunjay,
who managed to photograph
the notoriously elusive cat.
SHATRUNJAY: You've got
to see it to believe it.
SANDESH: Oh, yes, that
is a rusty-spotted cat!
Well done!
NARRATOR: Weighing only
three and a half pounds,
the rusty-spotted cat is one of
the smallest cats in the world,
and the smallest in India.
SANDESH (off-screen): As
if that wasn't enough,
Shatrunjay shows me
another stunning picture
that a guest photographed
just a few days ago.
SANDESH: This is great,
this is incredible.
Have you been putting
any camera traps out?
SHATRUNJAY: Oh, we've
done a few camera traps.
SANDESH: Shall we
go out and find it?
SHATRUNJAY: Let's do it!
SANDESH: Alright.
SHATRUNJAY: Can't wait.
NARRATOR: These hills are
Shatrunjay's backyard.
He knows every single
rockpile for miles around.
And now he is taking Sandesh to
one particular pile of boulders,
a maze of cracks and
granite crevices.
SANDESH: These boulders are
home to many species of cats.
An old piece of bone here.
There's obviously
something's made a kill,
most likely a leopard.
Wow.
It's gonna be a tight squeeze.
NARRATOR: Sandesh
sets the camera traps
where Shatrunjay saw his
first rusty-spotted cat.
Their habits are a mystery,
but they're believed
to be mainly nocturnal.
SANDESH: Now it's time
to wait it out all night
with this special
infrared camera equipment.
It's coming up the tree.
Oh, there he is. Yes.
Oh, this is so adorable.
One other reason why people
hardly ever get to
see this small cat
is because they're
highly arboreal
and they spend a lot of
their time sitting on trees.
This is also where they
hunt small birds, geckos,
and even insects.
Oh, look at that,
he's just gotten up.
To cool themselves down
they lick their fur.
It allows the
saliva to evaporate.
NARRATOR: While Sandesh is
filming the sleeping spotted cat,
his camera traps
catch quite a show.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: From the boulders of the
rusty-spotted cat in Rajasthan,
Sandesh heads just
over 1,200 miles east
into the remote northeastern
corner of India.
This land of jungle and mist
is the kingdom of the
biggest of the small cats,
or the smallest of the big cats,
depending on how you look at it.
The clouded leopard.
Named for its
cloud-like blotches,
clouded leopards have
the largest canines
in proportion to their
skull size of all cats,
earning them the nickname
"modern-day saber-tooth."
Finding this feline in the wild has
been a lifelong dream for Sandesh.
SANDESH (off-screen): A few years
ago, I was part of a project
that helped two orphaned
clouded leopards.
Over the course of two years,
I followed them as they grew up
from helpless balls of fur
to mischievous youngsters...
Until finally they
returned to the wild.
SANDESH: Clouded leopards live in
this amazingly dense rain forest.
It's a claustrophobic world,
and trying to even get a glimpse
of the clouded leopard
is next to impossible.
NARRATOR: Sandesh
consults an expert.
Priya Singh, a
wildlife biologist,
has dedicated the last few years
to studying clouded
leopards in the wild.
But she's not
exactly encouraging.
SANDESH: How do you decide
where to set up a camera trap?
PRIYA: Being carnivores, if they are
to move through the forest floor,
they would prefer open
trails like these.
Just going to show
you what we got.
SANDESH: Oh! A
clouded leopard!
So what are my chances
of seeing and filming
a clouded leopard out here?
PRIYA: I spent four months
here, and I was in the forest
almost five days of the
week, and I never saw one.
Your only chance of
seeing a clouded leopard
is through a camera trap.
SANDESH: Okay, well,
let's get to work.
NARRATOR: Sandesh's web
of cameras is now set up
all over the forest.
SANDESH (off-screen): While I wait
for the camera traps to do their job,
I still want to try and see a
clouded leopard with my own eyes
and perhaps even film it.
I've got my food supplies,
bananas, fruit and nut,
IR lights, camera,
everything ready.
Now I just need our
main actor to show up.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
SANDESH: And still, no sign
of the clouded leopard.
NARRATOR: One week later, it's
time to check the camera traps.
SANDESH: Look what we have here.
A scrape mark.
A scrape mark is an indication
that one of the cats has
walked along this trail.
Right close to one
of our camera traps.
This is most likely
a clouded leopard.
Let's go check the camera trap.
(barking)
SANDESH: That's a
barking deer alarm call
indicating that there's
some movement of a predator
just down the ridge.
♪ ♪
SANDESH: Leopard! Oh, my god!
Look at that!
It's crossed the
log right there!
Yes!
We have a clouded leopard.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Okay, now we have to
check the big camera.
NARRATOR: Finally,
after all these years,
Sandesh has managed to
capture a clouded leopard
on camera in the wild.
SANDESH: Oh, my
god, look at that.
What do we have there?
A clouded leopard.
That is just insane!
NARRATOR: With large paws
for gripping branches
and specialized ankle joints
that help them climb
down trees headfirst,
clouded leopards are perfectly
at home high up in the canopy.
SANDESH: This is spectacular.
This is the shot I've
been waiting for.
Okay, I guess we can
pack up and go now.
NARRATOR: Although new
technology is slowly helping us
reveal a clouded leopard
from the darkness,
its secretive life is yet
to be fully uncovered.
It's good to know that
there are still some felines
that like to keep their secrets.
SANDESH: This adventure has
given me the opportunity
to come face to face
with some of the least
known animals on the planet.
NARRATOR: The small cats of India
spend their lives in hiding.
Most people have never heard
of them nor will ever see one.
Yet, it's only when we
know more about them,
can we even think
about saving them.
SANDESH (off-screen): I
can't wait to come back
and uncover more secrets
of India's small cats.
Captioned by Cotter
Captioning Services.