TEHRAN – A Caracal, an endangered wild cat also called the desert’s black-ear, has lost life in a car accident on Shiraz-Kazeroon road, southern Fars province, YJC reported on Sunday.

The precious specie has been spotted for the first time in the area, the provincial department of environment (DOE) chief Saeed Mahmoudi said.

The reasons behind the presence of this rare species in the area near Kazeroon are being investigated and it is planned to install more camera traps to determine the exact distribution of the species in the area, he explained.

He further expressed regret that the male mature caracal has been struck by a car which has taken his life, and the carcass was delivered to the DOE by the region’s environmentalists.

Caracal is a native species in Iran and some other countries of southwest Asia into India, which have a great capability for hunting. This species also has broadly distribution in Central Asia and Africa. The historical range of the Caracal mirrors that of the cheetah, and both coincide with the distribution of several small desert gazelles. 

Caracals providentially are present across most regions of eastern and central Iran, including Fars and northern Khuzestan but there are also some concerns over the status of populations not just in Iran but also in the Central Asian Republics and also in Pakistan.

Dry steppes and semi deserts of Kavir National Park, Tooran National Park, Bahram-e Goor Protected Area, Saghand Yazd, Abbasabad Naeen, Naybandan Wildlife Refuge, Sistan-Baluchestan, Khorasan, Masjedsoleyman and Kermanshah are all listed as Caracal habitats in the country.

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