India is wrestling with conservation issues for numerous wildlife species. Recently, the country has had a setback with an ambitious attempt to reintroduce cheetahs to India. Gujarat, India has now stepped into the limelight with a regional conservation plan aimed at India’s threatened caracals (Caracal caracal).
According to the Hindustan Times , Gujarat intends a captive breeding program aimed at increasing the numbers of the feline predator. Gujarat is a state along the western coast of the country. It covers more than 75 thousand square miles. It has a population of about 60 million.
Gujarat, India has experience with last-ditch conservation. The state is the last home of the Asiatic lions, a subspecies of Panthera leo leo. Gujarat has increased the number of Gir lions to over 600. Most of these lions live in the Gir forest Conservation success has raised the possibility of returning some lions to other parts of India.
Caracals live in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and India. They are severely threatened in parts of their range and perhaps abundant in others. There does not appear to be an agreed estimate in their numbers. India is one of the areas where they are threatened and they may be down to 50 individuals. Pakistan and India are two of the areas with the fewest of the felines. They are abundant in much of Africa, although they face challenges in South Africa.
Caracals are known for their distinctive appearance and their leaping ability. According to Britannica:
“The caracal is a sleek short-haired cat with a reddish brown coat and long tufts of black hairs on the tips of its pointed ears. Long-legged and short-tailed, it stands 40–45 cm (16–18 inches) tall at the shoulder and varies from 66 to 76 cm (about 26 to 30 inches) in length excluding its 20–25-cm (7.9–9.8-inch) tail. The swift caracal is generally solitary and nocturnal in habit. It preys on birds and mammals, such as gazelles, hares, and peafowl. In Asia it has been trained as a hunting animal. The female bears litters of one to four young, which resemble the adults. Although the caracal is classified as a species of least concern worldwide by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), it is considered threatened or endangered in North Africa, Turkey, Central Asia, and India.”
The Hindustan Times said the center will be located in a good habitat.
“The Chadva Rakhal area, where the centre will be located, is home to a rich variety of wildlife, including leopards, crocodiles, Indian gazelle, desert foxes, jackals, 28 species of mammals, 28 species of reptiles, and 242 species of birds. It also boasts 243 species of plants. The former royal family of Kutch has transferred 4,900 hectares of land in the Chadva Rakhal region to the state government, which has since been transferred to the Forest Department to support the conservation effort”
Chadva Rakhal is a forest much of which is privately held by former Indian royalty. 4,900 hectares is over 13,000 acres.