Civet Cat
This mysterious, strange creature is often seen in fruit trees and people in asia kill it just to avoid its attack. It is a very shy and aloof animal and rarely attacks humans.
It has 35 species and belongs to a family of class Mammalia known as Viverridae.
The civet cat has a long stout body with black spots, short legs, and small ears. The black spots on its body help it to blend with its surrounding.
Distribution
It is found in the forests and semi-forests of Asia and Africa. It is also found in many semi-forests of southern Europe. It is also present in Pakistan and can be found near the mango and berry trees.
The civet cat is a nocturnal animal and comes out in dark. Its diet consists of fruits(berries, mango, cherries) and meat. It likes to live alone that makes it solitary animal.
In the equatorial countries of the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, where there are dense forests, many species of this animal like the Asian Palm Civet, are found. The speciality of this species lies in its excreta. It mainly eats cherry fruit and removes it along with seeds which are used to make coffee beans. A pound of coffee costs about 1,300 USD dollars, while a cup costs about $ 100. The special taste of this coffee (Kofi Luwak) comes from its stomach.
When the people of these countries came to know about this special coffee they started rearing this species of civet on a commercial level and this animal was forced to eat only cherry fruit.
Civet is also known for its anal glands. The secretions of these glands are use to mark territory. These secretions (civets) are also used in laboratories to make special kinds of odours.
But unluckily for this fragrance, this animal is often cut, peeled, and even killed to make
profits. Even many well-known companies were involved in its massive killing but due to strong criticism, its killing was banned.
Its meat is also consumed in many Asian countries, such as China. It is also considered that Civet Cat was also involved in the spread of SARS. That’s why the import of this animal is banned in the United States. This animal does not belong to the cat in any way but closely resembles the mongoose. it barely attacks humans so if you see one just stay away from it, it wll find its way back home.
