Rare caracals return in Thar Desert near India-Pakistan border

A male and female caracal, locally called 'padang', were spotted in the Thar Desert near the India-Pakistan border, officials said. The return of the species, critically endangered in India, has raised hopes for its conservation. The wildcats, which once widely inhabited Rajasthan and Gujarat, found their population decline by over 95% due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and retaliatory killings.