A male Asian caracal that came to the Antalya Zoo in Turkey when he was ¾ months old. He was then rehabilitated, given physical therapy for his injuries, and learned to hunt on his own. When he was deemed ready, he was collared and released into the wild on December 18th, 2011. 

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The Endangerment of the Asian Caracal

Written by Lynx || [Photo source]

The caracal (Caracal caracal) is one of the few wild cat species that is believed to generally have a healthy population. They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, alongside only one third of all members of the felidae family. Due to being seen as a threat to livestock, they are commonly hunted in South Africa and Namibia, though appear to remain resilient in both countries despite this.

However, not all is well for the caracal. From Israel to India lives an elusive subspecies, C. c. schmitzi. They are also known as the Asian caracal, Arabian caracal, or Schmitz’s caracal. These cats once thrived, even being used as hunting companions in India, like cheetahs.

Now, things are looking grim for the Asian caracal. In many ways, they once again draw eerie parallels to the Asiatic cheetah; disappearing before our very eyes, and with hardly enough effort put towards their conservation.  In several countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the caracal is now believed to be either extremely rare or extinct.

In India, the situation is especially dire. There are an estimated 200 individuals remaining in the country today, and that number is swiftly falling. The main threat to these caracals is loss of habitat, and they are now are mostly confined to two tiger reserves; Sariska Tiger Reserve, and Ranthambore National Park. Due to development and alteration within these reserves, the caracal is threatened with being pushed out of it’s last safe haven within India.

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