An Asian Palm Civet spotted in city's Syndicate Bank branch in Mandi house on Saturday.

According to bank employees and customers, the civet created a quite stir after making a brief appearance in Sarojini House branch of the bank. "The morning turned out to be quite unexpected for the employees and customers at the bank after civet was spotted in their midst. The four-legged visitor had sought out shelter under the table, in the Zonal Officer's cabin," said a witness.

As per the Wildlife SOS officials, the animal was found healthy and later released back into its natural habitat.

It took the team almost 30 minutes to carry out the rescue operation as it had to be careful not to cause the animal any further stress. The civet cat was subsequently released in the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary."

"During the rescue operation, a number of customers were present at the bank, and if the civet would have escaped from the room, the situation would have escalated," member of rescue team said further. 

Wasim Akram, Deputy Director-Special Projects, Wildlife SOS said, "The civet was initially stressed and agitated but eventually calmed down once it was safe inside the transport carrier. Often the plight of urban wildlife is dismissed because city dwellers consider them to be a nuisance and they are often met with hostility. We are glad to see that people are becoming more sensitised to their presence."

The Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurushermaphroditus) also called a toddy cat, is a small member of the family Viverridae native to South and Southeast Asia. Civet cats play an important role in the ecosystem by controlling the rodent population and are prime contributors to the dispersal of seeds as they often feed on fruits, berries, coffee beans, insects and small mammals.

Since 2008, Asian Palm Civet  is in IUCN Red Listed as least Concern as it is tolerant of a broad range of habitats.