Caracal

14 Nov 2024 13:03:13 pm

Tags : Caracal

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

The caracal, one of, if not India’s rarest wild cat species, has been spotted in Sariska Tiger Reserve 12 years after its last-documented sighting in the Rajasthan sanctuary. A motion-sensor camera snapped the elusive feline on the move.
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.

Source: Times Now

About Caracal:

It is an elusive, primarily nocturnal animal which has traditionally been valued for its litheness and extraordinary ability to catch birds in flight.
In India, it is called siya gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’.
It typically uses abandoned porcupine burrows and rock crevices for maternal dens, but can be found with its young in dense vegetation.
It lives in small herds and its shy and elusive nature makes it difficult to spot in the wild.
It lives in woodlands, savannahs and in scrub forests.
Distribution:
- In India, it is mostly found in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh is located in Kutch, the Malwa Plateau, the Aravalli hill range and the Bundelkhand region,
- It is also found in several countries across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia.
Large-scale hunting, illegal trading and loss of natural habitats are considered significant threats to the species.
Conservation status:
- IUCN: Least concern
- The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

Sariska Tiger Reserve:

It is located in the state of Rajasthan.
It is well nestled in the Aravali Hills, covering an area of 800 sq km.
It was once a hunting ground of the Maharaja of Alwar before being proclaimed a natural reserve in 1955 and a national park in 1979.
It is the first reserve in the world to successfully relocate tigers.
It is also famous for old temples, palaces, and lakes such as Pandu Pol, Bhangarh Fort, Ajabgarh, Pratapgarh, Siliserh Lake, and JaiSamand Lake.
It possesses a rocky landscape, scrub thorn arid forests, grasses, hilly cliffs, and semi deciduous wood.
Its vegetation corresponds to Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests and Northern Tropical Thorn Forest.
Flora:
- Dhok trees are found here in abundance along with other species such as salar, kadaya, gol, ber, Banyan, gugal, bamboo, kair, adusta, etc.
Fauna:
- A variety of other wild animals, like the leopard, sambhar, chital, nilgai, four-horned antelope, wild boar etc are found in the reserve apart from the tiger.