India, Aug. 31 -- A critical, life-saving surgery was conducted on a historical find for Haryana's biodiversity, a Fishing cat. The wounded male cat was operated at the Pipli Mini-Zoo, Kurukshetra, on Wednesday. The cat had suffered two severe fractures when hit by a vehicle bonnet on the Ambala-Yamunanagar highway near Mullana. It was rescued in the early morning of August 22, 2025, from the highway's side while exhibiting a raging fever of 104degF. and the onset of septicemia. The reclusive creature was also left severely traumatised by the road-hit injuries and his sudden translocation into a world of rescuers and medical staff (unfamiliar human beings). The Haryana forest (wildlife wing) department accorded the injured cat the highest priority to extricate it from a life-and-death situation. "In a distressing incident from Ambala, a Fishing cat, which is an elusive species seldom encountered in urban surroundings, suffered grievous injuries after being struck by a moving vehicle. Subsequent veterinary examination revealed a complete fracture of the femur epicondyle as well as a break in the left ilium bone, rendering the animal incapacitated. During the course of the critical surgical intervention, a titanium rod was meticulously implanted to restore the structural integrity of the fractured limb. At present, the feline remains under close medical observation; while its ordeal was severe, its condition is stable and the prognosis appears cautiously optimistic," PCCF (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden, Vivek Saxena, told this writer. The critical surgery was conducted by the department's seasoned veterinarian, Dr Ashok Khasa. The cat also took fish after the surgery and is being administered vital supplements such as Thiamine. Fishing cats are known to suffer from Thiamine deficiencies, especially if the fish they feed on is not fresh. The wounded specimen displayed the resilience of a cat of the proverbial nine lives. It was also taking other feed, such as scraps of boneless chicken. The cat is not out of the woods yet. The next 15 days (after the surgery on Wednesday) will be critical. Though the veterinarian is cautiously hopeful of limited mobility being restored to the cat, if all goes well, the chances of it being eventually released into the wilderness have been virtually ruled out due to the augury of persistent disabilities. After the accidental discovery of the cat on August 22, 2025, there was much conjecture on its origins in the media and among a section of ground-level officials and wildlife rescue NGO workers. It was wildly speculated that the specimen had been swept in by the floods as the popular belief was that it is found only close to the seas as it is a "fishing cat". However, wildlife conservationists and small cat specialists do not subscribe to such baseless ideas. They assess that the cat had always been existent in Haryana as the state fell in the species' geographical range but by a quirk of chance, it had never come to scientific light (till August 22, 2025). The Markanda river and fish farms, which are in the vicinity of Mullana, are likely habitats for the species. The Fishing cat is also recorded in parts of the Yamuna basin of Uttar Pradesh just about 60 km from Delhi, which is not far from Haryana. Otherwise, for North India, there are records of the species only from Harike / Beas Conservation Reserve, Punjab, and none from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh. Lending a perspective to the astounding discovery, Tiasa Adhya, co-founder, Fishing Cat Project, and member, IUCN Cat Specialist Group, stated that the Mullana specimen could be assessed as a missing piece of the Fishing cat puzzle. "While the incident is a tragic reminder of how wildlife suffers on our highways, it does play its role in proving the presence of the species within the political terrain of Haryana, from which it was never recorded before, perhaps due to lack of targeted surveys. The presence helps to connect a dot in the Fishing cat's ecological landscape. We know that the Fishing cat was found historically in the upper Indus floodplain and in the lower Gangetic floodplain. So, they should be present in the connecting landscape. The state of Haryana is situated in this connecting landscape and provides a missing piece to ecologists working to understand the distribution of this wetland cat," Adhya told this writer. The Fishing cat is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List. It is accorded the highest priority under Schedule I of India's Wildlife (Protection) Act and is included under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)....