Locals were blessed with pleasant weather at the weekend, and ventured out to enjoy the sunshine after a week of rain, thunderstorms and even snow. It seems humans were not the only ones exploring the great outdoors, as a number of caracals were sighted.
The Urban Caracal Project received many reports of caracal sightings on Lions Head over the weekend.
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View this post on Instagram
“Chances are this could be all the same (untagged) caracal exploring urban areas to “learn the ropes” of navigating urban areas. It doesn’t mean this caracal is lost. It’s a necessary fact of life for caracals that live in Table Mountain National Park,” explains the Project on their social media pages.
“The park is extensively fragmented, not only within the Peninsula, but also from other, larger connected areas outside of the City of Cape Town. The biological instinct of young caracals is to leave the area they were born (disperse) to find unoccupied territories to call their own, but in the Peninsula, there’s essentially nowhere to go, but it takes a lot of exploring to learn that fact of life.
“All urban caracals that survive to adulthood must take the same journey. We hope this caracal stays safe while it learns essential life lessons.”
One of the most important ways community members can help the Urban Caracal Project is to report sightings, especially if pictures can be provided, and to report roadkill.
If you have photos or videos you are willing to share, please email directly to [email protected].
Also read: How many times has Cape Town seen its favourite caracal?
Picture: screenshot from video