There’s a caracal on my stoep! NPO urges Cape Town residents to approach these ‘kitties’ with caution

Imagine going about your day, minding your business, when you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings?

Instead of open skies and camouflage bushes, you’re met with shiny cabinets, modern appliances and an open door that looks suspiciously like the opposite of freedom. And yet, this is what happened to TMC30 Beskuitjie in 2018. I’m paraphrasing, but I’m guessing the caracal experienced something similar.

Back to the story. TMC30 Beskuitjie (yes, that’s her name) found herself in a kitchen in Durbanville. One of the Urban Caracal Project’s monitored cats somehow wandered into a home. 

Recent reports of sightings

It sounds unbelievable, but it’s not uncommon for young wild cats to get “lost” in urban areas, said the NPO. “As curious young individuals looking to ‘move out on their own’, they sometimes catch themselves in very awkward situations!”

The organisation has noted the recent reports of them entering people’s homes. Like cats, caracals learn about their environment and where it is safe and unsafe to be. They find a spot and hunker down, hoping nobody notices them.

Affectionately known as rooikatte, caracals are the last remaining large predators in Cape Town’s mountainous ecosystems. Mostly confined to the mountains and green spaces, they’re sometimes found hunting near wetlands and coastal areas.

Stay calm and quiet

Obviously, encountering a caracal in your house is jarring enough. 

However, the Urban Caracal Project advises residents to remain quiet and calm. Give it space to minimise any disturbance. If the caracal is inside a building, open the doors and windows and let them leave of their own accord. 

Did you know? Caracals can launch themselves three metres into the air from a sitting position to catch birds. 

ICYMI: Meet Callisto, Cape Town's one-eyed caracal

Monitoring the wildcat population

Because caracals are strictly carnivorous, their proximity to urban environments exposes them to environmental pollutants and rat poisons.

And that’s what makes the work of The Urban Caracal Project so important. Led by researchers, the initiative investigates how urbanisation impacts these wildcats and monitors their population. 

An ongoing collaboration with local artist Bryan Little has done much to raise awareness around the reclusive creature. Called Public Displays of Reflection, the reflective artworks are placed in one of eight caracal roadkill “hotspots.”

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