Caracals of Cape Town have always been a sight to behold. With their regal personas and long, tufted ears, these elusive wild cats have everyone entranced whenever they’re spotted.
Another pair of frame-worthy Cape caracal images have been snapped by a camera trap set up by the Mother City’s very own Urban Caracal Project near the University of Cape Town recently.
The shy caracal, or rooikat, is a medium-sized rufous-fawn cat with distinctive tufted black ears, a creamy underbelly with faded orange spots, and long legs. Its face has exquisite markings, and it has light green to orange eyes.
These camera trap images were taken as part of the Khusela Ikamva Sustainable Campus project. As part of the project’s research to quantify the presence and abundance of wildlife on and around UCT campus, a camera trap grid has been placed along a gradient of urbanisation running from the campus itself into Table Mountain National Park.
And as a result, we are graced with some gorgeous snaps of Cape Town’s enchanting wildcat on a semi-regular basis – yay!
Take a look:
The Urban Caracal Project aims to protect biodiversity through research and conservation. It operates through the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild) at the University of Cape Town.
This one was captured by @simaclennan in Cecilia Forest on 27 April
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