(MENAFN) In the rugged hills west of Karachi, a motion-sensor camera recently recorded the brief appearance of a caracal — a rare and secretive wild cat — offering a glimmer of hope that the species still endures in Pakistan.

The caracal, a medium-sized feline native to the dry landscapes of Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, has become critically endangered in Pakistan. Conservationists warn that widespread habitat destruction, expanding human settlements, and retaliatory killings have brought the animal dangerously close to local extinction.

“Local people either kill the cat to protect their sheep, goats, deer and other small animals, or in retaliation for its preying on small livestock,” said wildlife expert Saeed-ul-Islam. He added that illegal hunting to supply the exotic pet trade has further devastated the population. “This has left the animal’s population in only a few hundred, not even a thousand, in Pakistan,” he said.

According to Javed Mahar, a conservator with Sindh’s Wildlife Department, the species continues to survive in limited areas of Sindh and other provinces.
However, the lack of reliable surveys or official data makes it difficult to determine how many remain, with estimates suggesting between 100 and 200 individuals.

Mostly nocturnal and highly elusive, the caracal lives alone and feeds on birds, rodents, and small mammals. Recognizable by its long legs, distinctive ear tufts, and exceptional leaping ability, the species is nearly extinct in North Africa, critically endangered in Pakistan, and endangered in Jordan — though stable populations still exist in some parts of central and southern Africa.

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