Two young caracals were spotted waiting for their mother to bring them food on security cam footage over the weekend. According to the Urban Caracal Project, the little ones were seen waiting patiently in Constantia.
“A momma caracal was taking advantage of some easy targets…muscovy ducks on vineyard property, to feed her young,” the Project said.
Adult females have between two and four kittens each year, and may spend all year feeding one litter of offspring until they have another.
“The first year of a young caracal’s life is an important time for mom to show them the ropes– teach them how to hunt and introduce them to areas that could possibly become new territory for the young when they are ready to be on their own. In this case, the folks on this vineyard asked if the caracals should be relocated further up the mountain,” the Project added.
“While under most circumstances we do not recommend relocating individuals, this is a prime example of why it’s a bad idea! One important reason not to relocate is that if we didn’t have access to the security footage, we wouldn’t know that the hunting female caracal has dependent young! By removing the adult female, you would separate her from her young. We have seen cases where this has led to catastrophic effects for either the young caracals, or the animals the caracals are hunting.”