Rajasthan: 3 arrested after rare caracal killed, half-burnt body found near border

Officials said the caracal is considered an endangered species in India, with only a small population believed to survive in parts of Rajasthan

A rare caracal was allegedly killed and partially burnt in the border area of Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer,leading to the arrest of three people.

The forest department arrested three accused and seized a tractor suspected to have been used in the incident. (HT sourced photo)

The incident occurred in the Shahgarh region near the India–Pakistan border, where forest officials later recovered the half-burnt carcass of the rare wild cat from sand dunes after an extensive search operation.

Acting on the viral video, the forest department arrested three accused and seized a tractor suspected to have been used in the incident.

According to officials, the search operation was launched after a video showing the killing of the rare wild cat surfaced online in the border region of Jaisalmer.

District forest officer (DFO) Kumar Shubham confirmed the development, saying, “Two days ago, on March 14, a video of the caracal being killed surfaced on social media. Taking cognizance of the video, two teams led by Range Officer Laxman Singh launched a search operation. The three accused seen in the video were arrested, and based on their identification, the half-burnt carcass of the caracal was recovered from the sand dunes of Shahgarh.”

“Three individuals, all residents of the Shahgarh area, have been arrested in connection with the case. A tractor used by them has also been seized,” he added.

He further said, “The carcass of the caracal was sent for post-mortem and samples have been collected. These samples have been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for further examination.”

Based on the viral video, forest officials identified and detained the three men, who were later arrested.

During interrogation, the accused claimed that a wild animal had killed around 50 of their livestock. They said they followed the animal’s footprints and chased it, alleging that the caracal died while attempting to escape. However, the viral video reportedly shows the accused standing near the dead animal and later burning the body.

Forest officials have registered a case against the accused under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The recovered carcass has been sent for post-mortem, while samples have been forwarded to the Wildlife Institute of India for further analysis.

Officials said the caracal is considered an endangered species in India, with only a small population believed to survive in parts of Rajasthan.

In western Rajasthan, the elusive caracal—often referred to as the “desert’s small cheetah” for its agility and ability to hunt birds mid-air—has recently come under scientific monitoring in Jaisalmer district.

Locally known as Siyagosh, the caracal is extremely shy and rarely seen in the wild. It survives only in limited pockets of the Thar Desert and the Kutch region, placing it on the brink of extinction in India. Officials say the Shahgarh landscape offers a suitable habitat, and if monitoring efforts succeed, similar tracking projects may be expanded to other areas to strengthen conservation efforts.