JAISALMER: Forest officials in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer have successfully fitted a radio collar on an endangered caracal cat for the first time in India, a move expected to provide crucial data on the elusive wild cat’s movements and behaviour.According to the forest department, the operation began after officials received information on Sunday night that a caracal had been trapped in a net allegedly laid by local poachers in Ghotaru village near Shahgarh Gram Panchayat in the border area. A team immediately rushed to the spot and rescued the animal safely.Under the guidance of CCF Jodhpur Anoop K. R., a joint team from the forest department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) rescued the male caracal, conducted health and safety checks, fitted it with a radio collar, and released it back into the wild. Officials said the night-time exercise was carried out with scientific protocols and caution, with WII experts participating throughout the rescue, collaring, and release.Rajasthan’s Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Sanjay Sharma confirmed the development in a post on X, calling it a significant conservation achievement. CCF Anoop K. R. added that the caracal had been caught in the trap on 23 January and was recovered promptly by the department.The Rajasthan Forest Department is running a caracal conservation programme in collaboration with WII and the NGO Tiger Watch in Sawai Madhopur and Karauli districts. Conservationists have also urged the state to consider a conservation breeding programme for the rare and critically endangered species.Officials said information on caracals in India remains limited because of their secretive, largely nocturnal behaviour. To address this, the department, under the direction of Chief Wildlife Warden KCA Arunprasad and PCCF HoFF PK Upadhyay, decided to monitor the rescued animal using a radio collar to study its habits in the wild.A research team will track the animal to document its behaviour and ecology. The tracking team has been formed under ACF Ranjit Singh Dholia of IGNP Jaisalmer, along with WII scientists Dr Sutirtha Dutta, Dr Moibuddin, and Dr Tushna Karkaria. The collar was provided by Dr Bilal Habib of WII.The collar emits radio signals to locate the animal. The department said location data will be transmitted every four hours to the registered email of CCF Jodhpur, while movement information will be received continuously. VHF signals from the collar can also be detected using a handheld receiver within approximately five kilometres.Wildlife biologist Dr Sumit Dookia said the Ghotaru landscape is a known habitat for caracals, which prefer bushy terrain and hunt mostly at night, making sightings rare. He noted that the species occurs across parts of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and in dry regions of Pakistan and north-west India. He also called for stronger protection of the caracal’s fragile habitat from threats such as large solar projects.Officials said the tracking study is expected to provide vital inputs for strengthening caracal conservation in Rajasthan.
