Rare animal spotted in Gondia national park

Caracal, an elusive animal which is fast approaching extinction in India, was spotted in the vicinity of Navegoanbadh National Park.

Nature and bird-lover Bheemsen Dongarwar said he sighted the animal, considered to be the nearest among the big cats to the cheetah, on January 19 at Madhavzhari Point in the park here in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

The animal (felis caracal schreber), which is little over 160 cm long, with a tail measuring around 23 cm, has distinctive characters, like a broad head and tufted ears, much like that of lynx, he said.

According to Dongarwar, like the lynx, the caracal stands higher on its hind limbs than on the fore, but it is smaller and lighter in build, having a long tail and no ruff on its hair.

The colouring is a uniform reddish-grey above fading into buff or white below, he said, adding the animal is generally found in drier parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Central India. Outside India, it has a presence in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the greater part of Africa.

Caracal is a creature of the desert and wild scrub, which hunts like a cheetah, and preys upon birds, antelope, rodents and smal deer. Though nothing definite is known about its breeding, it is said to rear its young in hollow trees or crevices among rocks, Dongarwar said.