A rare caracal has been spotted recently in the camera trap of Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in Rajasthan. Caracal is a wild animal of the cat species, its population in India is believed to be less than 50. Its area has not been fully defined yet, although it has been seen for the first time in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve. Rajasthan’s Environment and Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma recently shared information about this on the social media platform ‘X’. Earlier last year, it was also seen in Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve.
Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve is located in the southeastern part of Rajasthan, India. It spans across the districts of Kota, Bundi, Chittorgarh, and Jhalawar. The administrative headquarters of the reserve is in Kota.
MHTR Deputy Forest Conservator Muthu Somasundaram said that a camera trap was installed for the survey conducted twice every year in the Tiger Reserve. The caracal has been captured in the camera. He said that the caracal was trapped in the camera in the month of February, but during its data transfer we saw it in March.
DCF of Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve Arvind Kumar Jha said that apart from this, it is seen in Ranthambore, Sariska, Karauli and Dholpur, but it is very rare In India, it is generally seen only in Rajasthan. There is no record of spotting it anywhere, it stays hidden. A study is still going on as to where it exists.
Jha said that caracal is a medium-sized wild cat. Usually it preys on rats, birds, rabbits and small mammals. It chases its prey and reaches about 15 to 20 feet close to it. After this it suddenly jumps. Its specialty is that it jumps about 7 to 8 feet from the ground. It kills the prey by catching it by the neck.
This nocturnal predator is reputed to be solitary and elusive and will generally be out of human view. Caracals are extremely territorial and will generally live alone, though they will pair up on occasion.
Its most noticeable characteristic is its dashing appearance, featuring black markings on the mouth, big black stripes from the forehead to the nose, and melodramatic white patches around its eyes and mouth. Its tufted, long ears are perhaps its most identifying characteristic, adding to the cat’s stately and unmissable appearance.
Caracal remains very alert while roaming in the forest. To protect itself from the hunters, it hides by lying flat with its plain brown coat.
Caracal has long legs and short tail. Its height is 17 to 24 inches. The male usually weighs 13 to 18 kg, while the female weighs up to 11 kg. Also, its length is 26 to 35 inches. Its color is wine red, gray or sand color. On the other hand, there are black spots above the eyes.
Caracal can live for about 12 years in the wild, while there is a record of it living for 17 years in a zoo or biological park. Its specialty is that it can live without drinking water for a long time. It fulfills the requirement for water from the body fluids of its prey.
