Wildlife & Biodiversity
Wild cats rescued from poachers in Uttar Pradesh could be rare caracals
Out of the six animals rescued, five of them resembled caracals
By DTE Staff
Published: Monday 09 January 2017
Though there is no clarity yet on whether the animals are poached from Mirzapur, but the forests of Mirzapur have been historically known for Caracal habitats. An incident of Caracal attacking a man in Mirzapur has been documented by Bombay Natural History Society in its book 'Wild Animals of India' published in 2004.
Out of the six animals rescued, five of them resembled caracals. The sixth one is possibly a leopard-cat. The Forest Department officials clarified that that these were not the cubs of lion or leopard. However, an expert opinion has been sought for identifications of these wild cats.
On interrogating one of the poachers, he claimed that the animals were being taken to Hyderabad zoo. However, he could not show any document of zoo authorities regarding place of procurement of animals or transportation.
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