In March 2024, near the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa, a small wild cat approached an artificial pond created by researchers. It stopped to drink, unaware that a nearby camera trap was recording its movements. The camera captured five short video clips, which proved to be an important discovery for wildlife researchers Akshita Pungali and Atul Borker.
This visitor turned out to be a mainland leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)—a shy and elusive animal that had never been photographed in Goa before, according to the researchers' publications. This finding represents the first documented photographic record of this species in the state, and the results were published in the IUCN Cat News Commission in 2025.
However, the researchers' initial goal was not to find the leopard cat. Their project began with a simpler problem: every February, a stream flowing through a section of forest dried up, leaving animals with fewer drinking spots as the hot months approached. Akshita and Atul wondered if a small artificial pond could provide water for wildlife during these periods and decided to build one, using a camera trap to monitor the results.
When the forest dried up
Akshita and Atul have long shown interest in wildlife species that receive less attention compared to animals like tigers and elephants. In 2023, they jointly founded the Vanasa Conservation Foundation to protect lesser-known animals. Their work led them to a piece of private forest land bordering the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, where the seasonal stream provided an opportunity to study how animals cope with dwindling water sources.
Akshita told The Better India: 'We wanted to understand whether the animals would use the artificial water source in these forest areas. We monitored activity throughout the year, but the initial plan was to ensure water during drier months.'
Before building the pond, the team searched for a suitable location where animals were likely already passing through. They walked through the forest looking for small trails, fruit remnants, and disturbed fallen leaves—signs that mammals regularly traversed certain parts of the landscape. Akshita explained: 'We were looking for places where we could see smaller mammal trails, food lying around, signs that told us it was their path.'
Using these signs, they selected a suitable spot, dug a small pond, lined it, and filled it with water. The artificial pond had a capacity of 40 liters. Placing a camera trap nearby was intended to help the team determine if the animals found the water and, more importantly, if they returned to it.
Birds, squirrels, and leopards arrived
The camera soon began capturing birds coming to drink, mongooses roaming, and squirrels moving in the frame. As monitoring continued, the researchers started noticing larger visitors, including the Indian Gaur and leopards. Giant squirrels also appeared in the footage. Some animals came so close to the camera that it barely captured their bodies. Akshita recalls moments when 'only hooves were barely visible.'
For the team, hoping to understand if the wildlife was using the pond, the diversity of visitors was encouraging. However, Akshita was drawn to how some animals seemed to return to the same spot. She notes: 'If we keep it running throughout the seasons of the year, you see that they get used to this place. Before, they might have found it by chance, but now they recognize it.'
Repeated visits indicated that some animals were becoming accustomed to the water source. Meanwhile, the camera helped researchers observe wildlife that might otherwise pass through the forest unnoticed. Over 390 nights of camera trap operation, they documented visits from several species, including five clips of a mainland leopard cat drinking from the pond on March 7, 2024. Akshita shares: 'My co-founder and I were just very happy that it happened.'
Their joy stemmed from realizing how difficult it is to photograph such a species, especially in a region with so few previous records.
The leopard cat that hasn't been photographed in Goa
The mainland leopard cat is one of the most common wild cats in Asia. It can be found in parts of India, Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Russian Far East, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies it as least concerning. Nevertheless, there are gaps in understanding exactly where these cats inhabit in India. Most records come from the southern Western Ghats, the Himalayas, and the Northeast. Photographic observations in the northern Western Ghats were particularly sparse, with only two previously documented individuals in the broader region.
Wildlife cards suggested that leopard cats might occur in Goa, but the researchers lacked photographic evidence from the state. The video footage from Akshita and Atul's pond helped fill this gap. Part of the difficulty lies in the animal's behavior. Leopard cats are small, shy, primarily nocturnal, and often move through dense vegetation, making them difficult to observe. Akshita explains: 'This cat does not behave like tigers or leopards. It is small, elusive, shy, and mostly active at night.'
Researchers can sometimes identify individual cats by coat markings, but obtaining repeated recordings using camera traps in large forests requires significant time and effort. And this effort needs funding, which is hard to secure for less studied species. Akshita states: 'Wildlife research heavily depends on funding. And funding is often directed towards larger or human-conflict species.'
As a result, small predators often receive less research attention, even though they play vital roles in forests. For example, leopard cats prey on rodents and other small animals, helping to regulate prey populations. Understanding their movements and habitat can help scientists learn more about the functioning of these forest ecosystems. Therefore, even one confirmed photographic record can be valuable, as it indicates the presence of the species in a specific landscape and provides a starting point for further research. For Akshita, the finding in Goa also demonstrates what can emerge from a relatively small conservation experiment.
Can this idea help other forests?
Akshita estimates that creating an artificial pond like the one used in the project costs approximately 30,000 to 40,000 rupees. A basic camera trap can cost between 8,000 and 10,000 rupees, while a more advanced model costs around 25,000 rupees. She notes: 'Overall, it is a very inexpensive plan.'
The pond can provide a water source during dry months, and the camera trap helps identify which animals visit the adjacent area. Akshita says that nature resorts in Karnataka have already begun discussing similar interventions. For private properties bordering forests, carefully planned projects like these can be a way to contribute to nature conservation while learning more about local wildlife.
However, they also require understanding how different animals might react. For instance, if small animals start using the pond, will larger predators follow? 'Maybe,' Akshita replies. 'And I am sure many larger cats use these areas, and perhaps nature resorts don't know about it yet.'
This possibility makes careful monitoring crucial. People living or working near forests may know little about the various species passing through their surroundings, especially at night. As Akshita emphasizes, studying these animals doesn't always require creating a new water body. 'If you want to know what is in your backyard, sometimes you don't even need a watering hole. Just set up camera traps near good forest habitat.'
Her team's experience in Goa serves as an example of why this curiosity matters. They started by observing a stream that dried up every February. They followed animal trails, created a small pond, and placed a camera nearby to see who would come. The recordings showed a diversity of water-using animals, including the leopard cat, which had never been photographed in Goa before. Five short video clips gave the researchers a new piece of wildlife data and drew attention to the small wild cat, which remains understudied in this part of India. And it all started because two researchers noticed that the animals in the forest area might need a place to drink.