Critically endangered Arabian caracal reappears in UAE’s Wadi Wurayah after decades of silence

Conservationists in the UAE are celebrating a rare rediscovery. An Arabian caracal, once feared lost from the region, has been captured on camera in Wadi Wurayah National Park. The sighting has renewed hope for a species now considered critically endangered in the country.

Why is this sighting so significant?
The Arabian caracal was photographed by camera traps on Sunday, according to the Fujairah Environment Authority. The species, also called the desert lynx or Persian lynx, has been recorded only twice since 2019. Its reappearance marks the third confirmed sighting in nearly six years.

Wadi Wurayah, the UAE's first mountain reserve situated in Fujairah, is inhabited by high biodiversity and is an asylum for endangered species. The sighting highlights the significance of the park as a sanctuary for wildlife.
How many Arabian caracals remain in the wild?

It is estimated that only a mere 250 Arabian caracals remain in the UAE today. The species was initially sighted back in Jebel Hafeet in 2019 after going missing for almost 35 years. There was another sighting in an area near Wadi Shees in March 2023.

A native of the Arabian Peninsula deserts and mountains, caracals are shy and predominantly active at night, which means they are rarely seen. In the past, the cats used to be trained for bird hunting in India and the Gulf. In ancient Egypt, sculptures of caracals were believed to guard the tombs of pharaohs.