Sariska Tiger Reserve Caracal Sighting: India's Rarest Wild Cat Seen After 12 Years

The caracal, one of, if not India’s rarest species, has been spotted in Sariska Tiger Reserve — 12 years after its last-documented sighting in the Rajasthan sanctuary. According to a Times of India report, a motion-sensor camera snapped the elusive feline on the move on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.The caracal is one of 30 species of small wild cats. The carnivore is distributed over Africa and parts of western, central and southern Asia. In India, there are fewer than 100 caracals, with two populations clustered in Rajasthan and Gujarat.Pavan Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan, confirmed the Sariska sighting."The caracal is an extremely rare animal. Its presence is a promising sign for conservation efforts,” said Kumar, adding that he last spotted one about 25 years ago as Divisional Forest Officer at the tiger reserve.The news of caracal resurgence in the region was celebrated by conservationists from far and wide. “A caracal has been spotted in Sariska! I repeat, a caracal has been spotted in Sariska! Do you realise how big of a deal a caracal sighting outside of Landscape and Kutch is? Insane! I'm so happy! The rarest cat of India keeps surprising,” Krish Bohra, a wildlife enthusiast in the Aravallis, wrote on social media.The last time a caracal was seen in the reserve was over 12 years ago. A camera trap set up by the Wildlife Institute of India captured the previous caracal sighting in June 2012, according to the book Caracal: An Intimate History of a Mysterious Cat.In the wake of the recent one, experts at Bombay Natural History Society proposed an Indian caracal breeding program. However, the Rajasthan Forest Department declined, citing concerns that the introduction of larger caracals from Africa and Israel might have negative ecological consequences.Sunil Mehta, President, Sariska Tiger Foundation, has refuted reports of the latest caracal sighting, writing it off as a jungle cat. He conceded that the cat once inhabited the reserve, but going over the footage has ruled out any recent activity.