A trail camera in India caught sight of a cat not seen for 20 years in a find that left conservationists celebrating.
According to The Times of India, camera traps in the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve captured pictures of a caracal for the first time ever in the area. This is the fourth tiger reserve out of the five in Rajasthan where the caracal has been seen in recent months.
Devvart Singh Hada, chairman of the conservation-focused Pagmark Foundation, said the sighting was "a matter of great joy for Mukundra."
On this vibrant day of Holi, Rajasthan forest department is excited to share the first photographic record of Caracal in Mukundra hills Tiger Reserve.
— Sanjay Sharma (@Sanjay4India1) March 14, 2025
The winter Phase IV survey of the tiger reserve recorded this camera trap image of Caracal. The strong protection regime of… pic.twitter.com/HqplxM5vCb
"The presence of this rare cat, listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List, is an encouraging sign for conservation efforts," Hada remarked. "There was no record of caracal in this area for the past two decades."
While the caracal is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN's Red List globally, it is critically endangered in many parts of the world, including India and Pakistan. They are medium-sized cats, notable for the distinctive dark points at the top of their ears.
The caracal is particularly rare in India, where there are only a few known adults remaining in the region. They've become endangered due to a combination of hunting (due to loss of livestock) and loss of habitat. They're also incredibly difficult to track and monitor because they don't move in groups larger than pairs.
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Because of that, using trail cameras to monitor their health and populations has proven invaluable for scientists. The technology is crucial to conservation efforts around the world and has helped researchers find elusive species like black bears in California, black wolves in Poland, and marbled cats in Assam, India.
In this case, researchers hope the footage can help them get funding to further study caracals and enhance conservation efforts in the region.
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