Urban Caracal Project, Cape Town, South Africa

Join us for Conservation Conversations with Gone. / Patagonia at the V&A Waterfront!

Join the UCP team as they share some of their findings on how Cape Town’s caracal navigate the challenges of city living, the cryptic threats they face, and the importance of art and public engagement in their research.

Conversations will include:

- Caracal (Rooikat) basics
- Diet and Spatial Ecology
- Threats to the Population
- How Art supports Conservation
- Getting involved and Q&A

Arrive at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start.

Refreshments will be available.

This is a free event, but spaces are limited!

Please use the link below to RSVP to attend:

Conservation Conversations | Urban Caracal Project Join us for a chat about urban caracals and how we can help protect them in our city!

Predators on the urban edge…

These camera trap images were all taken close to or on the ’s Upper Campus! It’s not just caracals that roam the city boundaries… can you name the other two species?

The photos were were taken as part of part of the Khusela Ikamva Sustainable Campus project. The camera trap grid is placed along a gradient of urbanisation, from campus up into the Table Mountain National Park. This work aims to quantify the presence and abundance of wildlife on and around campus.

Read more at

🔊 NEW PAPER! In our recent paper published in iScience we used data from 25 GPS-collared caracals to investigate how they adapt to navigate the urbanised landscape.

SWIPE ➡️ We found caracal behaviour was highly adaptable and context-specific. It differed depending on where on the Cape Peninsula they were: in the urban north or in the wild south. We found fascinating evidence that urban caracals in the north selectively use green landscapes in close proximity to urban areas, especially at night. The availability of vegetative cover was an important component of this habitat selection.

They like to hug the urban edge. Adults, on average, were less than 500 meters from the urban edge (during the day and night), while urban subadults were on average approximately 50 meters from the urban edge! The subadult males also used the urban matrix more than adults. One possible explanation for this difference is that subadult males are being pushed to the edge of available habitat by the big adults.

Interestingly, the “wildland” caracals in the southern Peninsula were less adapted to human activities and rather selected to move along the coastline.

For the purposes of management and conservation of the population, we recommend maintaining as much green area as possible, and restoring pine plantations to fynbos. We also recommend that the City of Cape Town purchase parcels of land within the Cape Flats to try to maintain what little connectivity exists, and promote increased connectivity if possible.

Read it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223011276

📸 Michael McSweeney

This reclining caracal was spotted recently at the Tokai Forest picnic site 🐱

Thanks Sonia Bowers for reporting, well done for managing to get a photo from horseback!

We are still collecting information on caracal encounters around Cape Town. Seen a wild caracal? Please report your sighting to our website form! http://www.urbancaracal.org/report-sightings-roadkill

And please share the form far and wide, from your neighbourhood groups to friends and colleagues 🔗📲

Globally, wildlife populations are increasingly fragmented by urban development. The Cape Peninsula is isolated by more than 800 km^2 of City of Cape Town development, and we estimate there to be roughly only 50–80 caracals present.

Small and isolated populations often face an elevated risk of extinction, in part due to the consequences of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity. In our latest paper, we examine extinction risk due to inbreeding. We sequenced the genomes of 9 caracals in the Cape Peninsula, along with the genomes of 7 caracals from the Greater Cape Town area, 10 from the Central Karoo, and 5 from Namaqualand.

We found low levels of migration of caracal individuals from the Greater Cape Town area into the Cape Peninsula for the past 75 years, but with increasing isolation over the past 13 years or so, corresponding with rapid urban development in Cape Town. We estimated there to be only approximately 28 breeding caracals in the Cape Peninsula, and in comparison to the other study areas, high levels of inbreeding consistent with a small, isolated population. Swipe to see graph, where FROH is a measure of inbreeding (which we can see is elevated in the Cape Peninsula population compared to the others). We found that approximately only one breeding migrant enters the population every generation (3 years) and that if migration rates remain the same in the future, the population is expected to decline.

Importantly, the extinction risk of the population is greatly elevated if migration rates decrease (resulting from increased urban growth around the Cape Peninsula), and levels of human-associated sources of mortality, such as vehicle collisions, disease, pesticide exposure, domestic dog attacks, and lethal management, increase. To avert a population decline, we suggest that translocating migrants into the Cape Peninsula, potentially from the Greater Cape Town region, to initiate a genetic rescue may be warranted in the near future.

Paper available here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17346

Photo by Jacque Smit

Check out this interview the UCP founder, Dr Laurel Serieys, did with John Beaumont of The Practical Animal!

Listen to hear about Laurel's favourite caracal fact, why studying caracals is important, the skills needed to study elusive wildcats, the threats caracals face in urban areas, and more...

LORDS OF THE CAPE: The Caracals of Table Mountain. Knowledge Gaps/Project IdeasKnowledge gaps: understanding Caracal ecology outside southern AfricaWe are data deficient on the ecology of smaller wild cat spe...

Incredible portrait of the one-eyed female caracal in .

Robert Gouverner was lucky enough to spot this mother and her kitten and take this amazing shot. Thanks for sharing!

Remember to report your caracal sightings to our website form (link in bio) ➡️💻

Following a detailed post-mortem we are sad to announce that TMC13 Hope was pregnant when she was fatally attacked by dogs. She was carrying two fully developed kittens.

This makes her death even more significant from a population and evolutionary perspective. Hope was a great mother and was often spotted with her kittens over the years, particularly around Constantia.

The cause of death is confirmed to be a dog attack, with multiple bite wounds all over her body. She fought for her life but ultimately was no match for the dogs. Caracals are small wild cats (swipe to see size comparison with a human). On the , caracals on average weigh 10kg (females: 8.5kg; males: 11.4kg), while most domestic dogs weigh around triple that. By way of comparison, Border Collies are around 20kg, Africanis dogs are usually 25-45kg, Alsatians 22-40kg, and Boerboels 68-91kg.

This highlights the need for responsible dog ownership, particularly in natural areas that are supposed to be safe havens for wildlife. Many pet owners do not realise the negative impacts even the most well-trained dog can have on wildlife, either through direct killing, stressing wildlife through chasing native fauna, or spreading disease. Remember to check that the area you are walking in is dog friendly, LEASH UP, vaccinate, and PICK UP after your dog.

📸 Jennifer Louw

Prowling through the fynbos at Cape Point 🐱🌱

📷 Pernille Hanehøj

SLOW DOWN FOR WILDLIFE 🐱✨

Keep an eye out for these beautiful reflective artworks placed at caracal road-crossing hotspots around Cape Town. If you see an artwork, please slow down! And spread the word about what these artworks mean.

The biggest threat to caracals is being hit by cars. Slowing down in these crossing hotspots could reduce this threat — for caracals but also other wildlife. In Cape Town, caracals are important “umbrella species” because they need large, wild spaces and access to prey resources, so anything we do to conserve them also conserves many other species. We live in an amazingly biodiverse city; let’s do what we can to coexist with the wildlife we still have!

Follow ⚡️ ⚡️and keep an eye out for the stories of individual caracals in each location.

We are sad to announce the death of Hope, one of our longest monitored caracals.

Hope was a fully grown adult when we first met her in 2015, which means she was 9 or 10 years old when she died. This is incredible for an urban caracal! She was also an excellent mother. While she was collared she had two kittens, so we were able to study caracal reproduction and denning behaviour. She seemed to have kittens yearly, as after her collar dropped off, we received multiple reports of her with babies in tow.

Her body was found near Zwaanswyk in the Upper Tokai section of Table Mountain National Park. She was recognisable by her green ear tags. She had sustained multiple wounds, a broken jaw, and x-rays showed severe internal injuries. Based on the injuries and the tracks around the body, we believe Hope was killed by dogs. In this section of the park, dogs are not allowed.

This is a stark reminder of the danger that dogs can pose to wildlife. This is the latest of multiple cases of dogs attacking caracals that we have recorded.

What can you do?
We urge dog owners to keep their pets ON A LEAD. Do not walk them (or let them wander) in restricted areas of the national park — these are meant to be safe, stress-free zones for wildlife. Dogs can have both direct (killing) and indirect consequences for wildlife. It is also important to remember to PICK UP after your pets and vaccinate them to prevent the spread of diseases to local fauna.

📸 Jennifer Louw

Save the number (076) 127-8485 to report any animal caught in a snare or any signs of snaring

𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 – 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵
The Cape Leopard Trust proud to share this update on Snare Free – a multi-component initiative aimed at providing support to combat snaring in the Western Cape. The need for and benefit of Snare Free was clearly demonstrated in two recent cases where caracals were caught in snares in the Overberg. In the first instance, the Snare Free hotline and efficient implementation of the Western Cape Snare Response Plan saved the cat’s life. Sadly though, the second caracal had severe injuries and could not be saved, again highlighting the cruelty and unselectiveness of snaring as a hunting method. Please read the full story at bit.ly/SnareFreeUpdate1

Image caption: top left and right shows the caracal caught around the pelvis in a fence line snare. Bottom left shows the sedated caracal with the snare removed and the abrasion disinfected before it was released.
𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦́𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘝𝘦𝘵 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤

Snare Free partners: Cape Leopard Trust • CapeNature • Kogelberg Biosphere • Cape of Good Hope SPCA • Wildlife Forensic Academy

⚡️ CARACAL CROSSING ⚡️

Have you spotted them? ✨

Each of these beautiful reflective artworks by has been placed in caracal roadkill “hotspots” we have identified using the mortality data we have collected over the last seven years. If you see one, remember to reduce speed and look out for wildlife! ⚠️

A thousand-yard stare…

This beautiful portrait was taken recently in by and .chow who say they have been waiting for this moment for a long time and have now caught “caracal fever”! What a special sighting, thanks for sharing it with us. We've had a number of Cape Point sightings lately which is really exciting!

Remember to report your sightings to our website form 📲 https://www.urbancaracal.org/report-sightings-roadkill

Taking a moment before heading out for breakfast…

This female with one blind eye and her kitten were spotted again! This time just past Maclear Beach in . Fantastic to see them still doing well.

Did you know? Caracal kittens are weaned at around 4-6 months, when they start getting their adult teeth. However, they usually stay with their mothers until around a year old, after which they leave to find their own territories.

Thanks Brian van der Leer for these wonderful photos and for reporting the sighting!

A beautiful capture of a young caracal near Smitswinkel Bay a few weeks ago 🐱

Anya Adendorff spotted this cat along with a troop of baboons near her home. She says “That was a first for me, baboons and caracal. It proceeded to head closer to where the baboons were chilling when a hadida kamikazed it several times.” Sounds like an exciting sighting!

Please report your sightings to our website form (https://www.urbancaracal.org/report-sightings-roadkill) 📝 and report any roadkill caracals immediately to +27 79 837 8814 📲

Spotted in Cape Point! Scroll ▶️ for the cutest surprise hiding in the restios.

This caracal has one blind eye and we suspect it’s the same individual with an eye injury spotted before in Cape Point Nature Reserve… this time with a kitten in tow! We think this might be a glaucoma due to an old injury, perhaps taken while hunting. She appears to be in otherwise good condition and is taking good care of her kitten. What a great mother! We are constantly amazed by the resilience and adaptability of these animals.

Photos by Fanch Lebreton

Here’s a beautiful shot of young caracal for your Friday!

This was sent to us recently by Anya Adendorff who is lucky enough to see caracals often where she lives. She says “I see shy ones and confident ones, but yesterday was a different kind of curious. Not sure if it is a youngster, certainly was smallish in stature. It looked in good shape when it was surveying the landscape and jumping into the long grasses hunting (unsuccessfully) and flicking its tail.”

Please remember to report your sightings to the form on our website 🐱💻

The perfect pair 😻😻

These two caracals were spotted by Gilbert Reinhardt in Cape Point Nature Reserve over the weekend 🌿

Remember to report your sightings to our website: http://www.urbancaracal.org/report-sightings-roadkill 📲

Caracals using culverts!

Here are some recent camera trap images showing an adult caracal using a culvert on University of Cape Town campus.

In many areas of North America and Europe, underpasses or overpasses designed to help wildlife move safely across roads are becoming more popular. Other cat species, like bobcats and pumas have been documented successfully using these structures. 🛣️

Could this be a solution for Cape Town’s roadkill problem?

These photos provide evidence that it might be… If caracals, and other larger wild animals, are able to use underpasses, these could be installed in the major road crossing hotspots we have identified (SWIPE ⏭️ to see map). These might be especially prioritised in areas with green space on both sides of the road.

This could reduce unnecessary caracal deaths, like that of Hermes.

What are your thoughts? Do you think this is a viable solution? Let us know in the comments.

Photo credit: (Zoë Woodgate) &

We have lost an icon.

The Urban Caracal Project is heartbroken to report that our 33rd tagged caracal on the project, Hermes, was hit by a car early on Tuesday morning.

He was hit on Philip Kgosana Drive, one of the main arterial roads into Cape Town’s city center. The collision happened at 5:45am but was reported to us later in the day. He was identified by his blue ear tag. As part of our project, we collect caracal roadkill often, sometimes multiple times a month. It is always hard but finding a tagged cat, and one with such personality who was so well-known and loved by all of us, was devastating. As wildlife ecologists, we should remain objective about our study animals — but how could we not grow to love this beautiful, brave, determined character.

We first met Hermes in August 2018 when he had been hit by a car near Kloof Nek, but luckily survived to be rehabbed and released by our team and the SPCA Wildlife Unit. It is a testament to his remarkable life and resilience that we have had a flood of messages from the public. So many people have written to ask about him, and already the posts and news articles have started to appear. He was a living symbol of the adaptability of wildlife staking out a life on the urban edge. His story inspired many and raised important awareness for both urban caracals and the broader conservation of Cape Town’s wildlife. Indeed, this is the aim of the Urban Caracal Project.

We are still processing his death and how best to pay tribute to him. Please look out for our next few posts documenting and celebrating his extraordinary life.

If you would like to support the project and our ongoing work to understand the threats to caracals like Hermes and how best to conserve them, please consider donating (http://www.urbancaracal.org/support). We are currently working on signage to try to reduce roadkill, as well as testing for other major threats to the population, like disease and pollutant exposure.

Photos by Jay Caboz, Yvonne Tromp and Hans-Peter Neth

🆕📄Just out! New research shows Cape Town's caracals have metal pollutants in their blood🩸☣️ including heavy metals and metalloids, such as arsenic, mercury and lead. Caracals using areas closer to people and roads had higher levels, as well as those feeding in aquatic food webs (i.e., eating seabirds and waterbirds), as these areas are sinks for pollutants.

Because caracals are an indicator species, this does not bode well for ecosystem or human health in the area. Read more about the findings in our article for The Conversation https://theconversation.com/cape-towns-caracals-have-metal-pollutants-in-their-blood-an-environmental-red-flag-204379 and the original paper led by MSc student Kim Parker and published in the journal Environmental Pollution here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749123005870 (Open Access)

This work was supported by .csic.uclm and .

Photo of caracal with cormorant by Louis Jones.

Colour matching 101 😻

This gorgeous photo of a caracal was taken in near Rhodes Drive. Amazing how the caracal’s coat matches the dried bracken and pine needles! It’s easy to see why the Afrikaans name for the caracal is “rooikat” (red cat). The species is also sometimes called the African lynx or desert lynx.

Did you know? 🤔
The name “caracal” comes from the Turkish word “karrah-kulak” meaning “black ear”.

Photo by Si Maclennan

More cool camera trap images taken near University of Cape Town! 😺

These images were taken as part of part of the Khusela Ikamva Sustainable Campus project. The camera trap grid is placed along a gradient of urbanization, from campus up into the Table Mountain National Park. This work aims to quantify the presence and abundance of wildlife on and around campus.

Read more at

Perfect camo 😻

This young caracal was spotted by several fishermen while moving along the rocky coastline at Rooikranz, recently. It is amazing how closely it’s coat matches the colour of the rocks.

📸 Thanks to Warren van Reenen for these amazing shots!

A lucky sighting! 😸

This was spotted by Christo Giles over the weekend. He says “It was very exciting to see it and get pictures. I was driving on my way to Cape Point early on Sunday morning and it crossed the road 50 metres in front of me... It stopped in the picnic area and looked back at me long enough to get some photographs. I’ve seen them before but the first time I’ve managed to get photos.”

Remember to report your caracal sightings to our website form (http://www.urbancaracal.org/report-sightings-roadkill) 📲

Starting the new year with these beautiful photos by of a young caracal on a Constantia greenbelt 🐱🌱

Green space is vital for caracals! Greenbelts like these through developed areas are popular recreational areas for people, but are also important for safe movement of wildlife between patches of natural habitat. Restoring some of these areas to natural fynbos vegetation, as has been done in some areas, could enhance their conservation value even further.