Rajasthan: Three arrested for killing and burning rare Caracal wild cat

Three individuals were arrested in Rajasthan for the alleged killing and burning of a rare Caracal wild cat, sparking outrage after a video of the incident surfaced online.

Three people have been arrested in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district on Monday for allegedly killing and burning a wild animal, suspected to be a rare wild cat Caracal, and uploading a video of the incident on social media, forest officials said on Monday.

Officials said a half-burnt carcass of the animal was recovered from the spot.

According to the forest department, the incident took place in the Shahgarh area near the India-Pakistan border, where the animal was killed and set on fire on a pile of wood two days ago.

Investigation and Arrests

Deputy Conservator of Forests Kumar Shubham said a team was formed under the direction of Assistant Conservator of Forests Dilip Singh Rathore after the video of the rare wild cat surfaced on social media.

The arrested accused were identified as Ibrahim Khan (32), Uma (31) and Salidad (50), from Shahgarh, Shubham said.

A case has been registered against them under various provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, and a tractor allegedly used during the incident has also been impounded, he added.

Accused's Claims and Ongoing Investigation

During questioning, the accused revealed that around 50 of their livestock had been killed by a wild animal two days earlier, following which they started tracking its footprints.

They claimed that when they spotted the wild cat, they chased it and that the animal died while trying to escape. However, forest officials said the exact cause of the caracal's death is yet to be ascertained.

The carcass has been sent for post-mortem, and biological samples have been collected and dispatched to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun.