Ratel Mellivora capensis in a human-dominated savanna landscape in Kachchh, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Between January and May 2022, Ratel Mellivora capensis was recorded at night at five locations during camera-trapping surveys targeting small carnivores in the Kachchh (Kutch) savanna landscape of Gujarat, India. Informal opportunistic conversations with local villagers revealed that they held negative perceptions about the species – they opined that it is a large and ferocious animal capable of injuring, or even killing, humans. The fact that the Ratel is rarely seen, together with its depiction in the media as aggressive and indomitable, perhaps shape such perceptions. More in-depth research would be required to understand what influences these misperceptions, how widely held they are locally and how they may be impacting Ratels.