A magnificent member of the caracal family made a walker’s time in Newlands Forest that much more special after the red cat made a cameo:
Cape Town, South Africa (22 August 2024)—One walker’s morning stroll in Cape Town’s Newlands Forest lent itself to a unique experience recently after a magnificent caracal made a cameo.
Spotted and photographed by said lucky walker, Nicola Joan Nanda Gross, the red cat perched on tree stumps in a series of poses that’d give most models a run for their money.
As Capetonians and wildlife lovers know well, a caracal cameo is one of those fortunate encounters not unlike meeting a kind of celebrity (which we’re sure the prideful cat is aware of, given it’s almost always camera-ready poses!).
Known for their long tufted ears and reddish coating, the ‘red cats’ have moved closer and closer to urban settings in the Cape. However, the caveat to this is that they are often at risk of losing their lives due to becoming roadkill, as Cape Town’s busy streets are not exactly friends to a caracal on the go.
Luckily, there are incredible teams working hard to improve their urbanisation, namely the Urban Caracal Project.
Through their work in researching and tracking caracal movements, they’re making sure more is done to protect this species. You might have seen some of their work before, including the Caracals Crossing.
If you’re lucky enough to catch a caracal cameo, make sure to let the Urban Caracal Project know! You can submit your sighting here.
Sources: Table Mountain National Park; The Urban Caracal Project
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