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India's Wild Cat Now Tracked: Caracal Gets Radio Collar
28 Jan
Summary
- A caracal was radio-collared for the first time in India.
- The operation followed the cat's rescue from a suspected poacher's trap.
- The collar will help study the elusive cat's movements in the Thar desert.
For the first time in India, an endangered caracal has been fitted with a radio collar following a four-day rescue operation that concluded Monday night. The operation, a major conservation breakthrough, was initiated late Friday after the cat was found ensnared in a leg trap in the Jaisalmer border area.
A collaborative effort between the forest department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) led to the safe rescue and radio-collaring of the male caracal before its release back into the wild. This initiative is critical for understanding the caracal's movements and behavior, as information on this secretive, nocturnal species in India remains scarce.
The radio collar transmits location data every four hours and emits signals detectable within a 5-km range. Conservationists highlight this as a significant achievement, crucial for assessing the species' population in the Thar desert, where recent sightings have been reported. Protecting the caracal's preferred bushy habitats from pressures like large solar projects is deemed essential for its survival.
