ISLAMABAD: The highly elusive and rare caracal wild cat has been spotted in the Cholistan desert in Pakistan’s southern Punjab province this week, a wildlife official said on Tuesday.
The caracal is a medium-sized animal native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterized by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long and pointed ears, relatively short tail, and long canine teeth.
The secretive creature is difficult to observe, even by researchers, and is territorial, living mainly alone or in pairs. Its speed and agility make it an efficient hunter, able to take down prey two to three times its size. It primarily hunts the chinkara deer, also known as the Indian gazelle, in the Cholistan desert, which is in the southern part of Pakistani Punjab, extending into the Greater Thar Desert.
“Over the past month, there have been multiple sightings, and just this morning [Monday], Mujahid Kaleem, Assistant Conservator Wildlife from Rahim Yar Khan, successfully spotted the animal [caracal] on camera for the very first time,” Ali Usman, a wildlife ranger for the Bahawalpur region, told Arab News in a phone interview.
Usman said the department currently lacked exact figures on caracal numbers in Pakistan.
“For a long time, this elusive species hadn’t been sighted in the region,” he said.
“However, with the current government’s support in the form of equipment, vehicles, and additional staff, our protection efforts have significantly improved. As a result, we’re beginning to see signs of ecological balance and resilience returning to the ecosystem and the caracal’s presence is a key indicator of that.”
The caracal is thought to be close to extinction in North Africa, critically endangered in Pakistan, endangered in Jordan, but stable in central and Southern Africa.
