The caracal, a favourite of royals, now critically endangered

The National Board for Wildlife and Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change included the caracal in the list of critically endangered species.
The recovery programme for critically endangered species in India now includes 22 wildlife species.

This statutory body is constituted under Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA), 1972.
It is chaired by the Prime Minister and reviews all wildlife related matters. The NBWL has 47 members including the chairperson. Among these, 19 members are ex-officio members. Every new government constitutes a new board, based on the provisions of the WLPA, with the new PM as the chair.
It is supposed to meet twice a year.

The caracal is a medium-sized wildcat found in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The iconic ears are what give the animal its name. In India, it is called siya gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’.
Though found across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, its numbers in Asia are declining.
Its fossil evidence has been found in the Indus valley civilization and it was used for hunting during the medieval period by rulers such as Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Akbar. They were traditionally valued for their litheness and extraordinary ability to catch birds in flight.

Since the caracal is an elusive and nocturnal animal their sightings are not common.
There is no proper data regarding their population due to lack of sightings.
Experts estimate that there are only 50 or odd individuals left in India.
Historically it lived in 13 states but now since 2001 it was sighted only in 3 states.

The caracal is rarely hunted or killed — in recent years, cases have been detected of the animal being captured to be sold as exotic pets.
Loss of habitat and increasing urbanisation is another cause. It affects the animal’s prey which includes small ungulates and rodents.
Areas like Chambal ravines where caracal is found, are tagged as wastelands. Land and environment policies are not geared towards the preservation of such wasteland ecology, rather they seek to ‘reclaim’ these areas to make them arable.

It is expected to bring central funding to conservation efforts.
It will ensure that the animal is studied comprehensively for the first time, including its home range, population, prey, etc.
Such study will also throw light on the much neglected “wastelands” in the country.

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