FILM
Siyahgosh. Karakulak. Caracal.
Meet the Asiatic caracal, enigmatic and endangered tufted-eared felines, in the final instalment of our Herding Cats film series. Fascinated by this species since he was a child, naturalist and tracker Uditchandra Pal takes us along on his quest to photograph a caracal in the Vindhyas in Rajasthan.
Since pre-independence, Asiatic caracals have been captured and domesticated. They used to be trained to assist on royal hunts. Today, their existence is threatened by other factors such as the exotic pet trade and rampant habitat loss. Their decline is emblematic of the larger neglect of India’s unprotected grasslands and scrublands. In this short film, we learn more about Uditchandra’s ceaseless efforts to find this little known cat, and see some incredibly rare daytime footage of the caracal in the wild in India.
Thanks to Uditchandra Pal, N. Shiva Kumar and Raza Kazmi for the footage and images.
Herding Cats is part of Cataplisms, a project that seeks to explore the world through a feline lens via the work of conservationists, anthropologists, artists, writers, researchers, and more. These films are visualised by Faraway Originals and produced by Dark ‘n’ Light. The series is curated by Cara Tejpal.
About the narrator
Uditchandra Pal grew up in the forests of eastern Rajasthan, identifying birds since he was six years old and finding wildlife on his own. Uditchandra later studied photography which helped him become a photography and trail guide. He enjoys tracking elusive wildlife across diverse terrains—from snow leopards, the Lynx, Pallas cats, Tibetan wolves, and Argali in the high Himalayas to caracals, Indian wolves and hyenas in the Indian plains. For the past six years, his work blends ecological knowledge with a commitment to ethical wildlife photography, creating experiences for clients who value both the thrill of the search and the importance of conservation. Guiding people through remote habitats, he focuses not just on sightings but on a deeper appreciation for ecosystems, animal behaviour, coexisting cultures and the journey itself.