Endangered caracal monitored in Aegean province

MUĞLA

An endangered caracal and its offspring have been spotted with a camera trap placed in the forest in the Aegean province of Muğla.

The camera trap set by Yasin İlemin from Muğla Sıtkı Kocaman University captured images of a caracal and two puppies, whose species are under threat of extinction.

“We recorded a mother caracal and her two small cubs in Türkiye as part of our research. This rare wild cat species is stuck in the southwest of our country and tries to survive in isolation from other caracal populations around the world,” İlemin explained.

The main threats to the species are forest fires due to climate change, poaching, habitat destruction and stray dogs in the wild, İlemin stated.

“We are carrying out joint studies with various public institutions and non-governmental organizations in order to eliminate these threats.”

“Within the scope of our new project ‘Ecological Restoration Support to Wildlife After Mega Fires on the Mediterranean Coasts,’ we plan long-term joint activities with the Forestry Ministry to obtain important findings regarding caracals in Türkiye,” İlemin noted.