By Liz O'ConnellShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberAnimal lovers and conservationists are celebrating a rare sighting of an Arabian caracal inside a United Arab Emirates (UAE) national park, captured on a trail camera.
Emirates Nature-World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shared footage of the "critically endangered" wildcat on the UAE National Red List, in an October 7 Instagram video on the account @ews_wwf. The motion-sensor trail camera spotted this rare animal trekking through the rocky terrain. Its distinctive black ear tufts and powerful build made the apex predator instantly recognizable inside Wadi Wurayah National Park—the first mountain-protected area in the UAE, managed by the Fujairah Environment Authority.
The sighting offers new hope for the species' survival, a press release from Emirates Nature WWF said. As a highly territorial and mostly nocturnal animal, the Arabian caracal has been seen only a handful of times over the past few decades. The species was last documented near Wadi Shees in March 2023 and before that in Jebel Hafeet in 2019. Fewer than 250 mature ones are believed to remain in the wild.
Native to the mountains and deserts of the UAE, Arabian caracals play a crucial role in maintaining mountain ecosystems and regulating prey populations.
...The sighting provides critical data to assess the species’ status and fragile habitats and will help guide future conservation strategies, the press release said.
A representative from the Emirates Nature WWF told Newsweek via email that the discovery wouldn't have been possible without the organization's partners, Fujairah Environment Authority and Mashreq. The latter has been "instrumental" in supporting the team's biodiversity-mapping initiative.
Looking ahead, the representative said the team plans to launch a short documentary about setting up camera traps across the UAE and the work it entails. This has become an initiative for Emirates Nature WWF to educate people on the process behind conservation, while also encouraging them to join as citizen scientists.
Viewer Reactions
The Instagram video had more than 32,300 views, 1,300 likes and 126 comments as of Monday, with users flooding the clip with their amazement over the spotting of the rare wild animal.
"What a GORGEOUS cat, I love the big wild cats! They're so GORGEOUS & majestic! I LOVE this," wrote one person.
Another added: "Beautiful cat. Great job obtaining these videos/photos."
A third user commented: "Good news. I hope they can survive forever with the government's help."
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