In a ground-breaking re-discovery, a dedicated grassroots expedition led by Sumer Singh Bhati, a nature enthusiast from Sanwata village in Jaisalmer, along with Pankaj Bishnoi, Bombay Natural History Society’s Community Engagement Officer, has found a population of the elusive Asiatic Caracal (Caracal caracal schmitzi) in Ramgarh, Jaisalmer. The team took its first photo in Jaisalmer district on November 13 during their grassland survey. The expedition estimates that at least 10 pairs of caracals inhabit the area.

BNHS Director Kishor Rithe confirmed the news and termed it “a good discovery as this is the largest population sighted in the recent past in India”.