CARACAL

CARACAL

Subject: Environment

Context: Union forest minister Prakash Javdekar, who tweeted that with the addition of the caracal there will now be 22 species under critically endangered species recovery programme.

Concept:

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists caracals as a species of ‘least concern’, mainly due to their large numbers in Africa. But in India they are ‘endangered’.
• Now it is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ in India.
• since 2001, the Caracal’s presence has been only reported the three states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh

About Caracal

• The caracal wild cat (Caracal caracal) is a rare species in India.
• The black tufted ears of this cat are one of its most distinguishing features.
• In Kutch dialect of Gujarat Caracals are locally referred to as Hornotro which means killer of a Blackbuck whereas in Rajasthan it is known as Junglee Bilaoor Wildcat.
• They are mostly found in the tropical dry deciduous and tropical thorn and shrub forests of Central and Western India.
• Caracals had appeared in Indian paintings dating back to seventeenth century.
• Their survival in India is endangered primary reasons being the rapid loss of scrub and thorn habitat and unchecked human activates in the caracals habitat