S3|E7 - On the Brink: Protecting India's last caracals with Shreyas Vijay

The Asiatic caracal is India’s rarest wild cat. In fact, with the population estimated to be less than 100, the caracal is on the verge of becoming the second extinct species of cat in India after the recently reintroduced cheetah.In Episode 7, I explore the ecology and conservation of this fascinating cat with Shreyas Vijay, the founder of the Caracal Conservation and Research Project (CCRP). We discuss his research on mapping the population and distribution of caracals in India. Shreyas talks about the threats of human-caracal conflict and the illegal pet trade to caracals across its range in Asia and Africa. Tune in to learn more about the future of caracals in India.The Think Wildlife Podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. Please do consider upgrading to an optional paid subscription on Substack. 30% of the revenue from this episode will be donated to the CCRP!Meet the HostAnish Banerjee: https://x.com/anishwildlifeThink Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/Meet the GuestsShreyas Vijay: https://shreyasvijay11.wixsite.com/indiaRecommended Wildlife Conservation BooksWildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9ZhIndian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCLAt the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsN Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe