Jaisalmer: The forest department has deployed motion-sensing camera traps in the Ghotaru border area to track the endangered caracal, with the exercise confirming the presence of three individuals, including two previously unrecorded animals.On Monday, officials said, a limited number of cameras have been installed so far, but the early results are significant for a species believed to survive in very small numbers in the Thar Desert. Along with the two newly detected caracals, the movement of a recently radio-collared individual is also being monitored to study behaviour and habitat use. The monitoring is being carried out under the guidance of Chief Conservator of Forests (Jodhpur) Anoop K R, with a team led by Devendra Singh Bhati, DFO of IGNP II Division, Jaisalmer. Researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India are also involved in analysing movement patterns and activity in the desert landscape. Camera trap images have so far recorded all three animals in the study area. Anoop K R said the cameras were strategically placed across the border desert belt, leading to the identification of two new individuals. With the collared caracal already under observation, the confirmed count in the monitored zone has reached three. He also cited a past incident in Bachhiya where a caracal was allegedly hunted and burnt, underlining threats to the species. Forest officials said a wider camera network would be needed to assess the caracal’s full habitat range, adding that a comprehensive conservation plan will be prepared after the current study. Locally known as ‘padang’, the caracal occasionally preys on livestock, triggering conflict. Teams are conducting awareness drives in border villages, urging residents to report attacks instead of harming the animal, with assurances of safe capture and relocation if required.
