Fishing Cat is the State animal of West Bengal. However, owing to general lack of awareness and concern, this Schedule 1 animal is critically endangered. The news of the killing of a few of these cats in Bhangor recently has caused alarm among all those who care for the environment. Nature Environment & Wildlife Society, ( NEWS ) a reputed NGO , West Bengal Biodiversity Board, Calcutta University and the Zoological Survey of India have joined forces to mount an initiative to save this state animal through several programs including awareness camps.
On December 22, 2019, a special awareness camp was organized at Kantatola Bazaar , Bantala where audio visual presentations were made in front of the local community and this helped spread the message effectively. The local Tardaha Gram Panchayat was also a partner during this awareness drive and everyone expressed the hope that henceforth efforts will be made to stop the indiscriminate killing of the fishing cat in their locality.