African Caracal Cat (Caracal caracal) Information and Facts

Excerpt:

Carnivores like leopards, lions and hyenas have been killing livestock for centuries, causing financial losses to farmers. In many parts of the world, farmers respond by killing these predators. This has greatly reduced the populations of some top predators like leopards and lions.

Killing predators may decrease their numbers in the short term. But there is no evidence that it is an effective way to protect livestock in the long term. For example, in South Africa, populations of the medium-sized predators like caracals and jackals that also predate on livestock increased or migrated into the area in response to lethal control efforts.

For this reason, farmers in South Africa are looking at non-lethal methods of protecting livestock. One sustainable, wildlife-friendly method is the age-old practice of herding or shepherding.

Very little data exists on how shepherding compares with lethal methods globally or in South Africa. We conducted a study in South Africa to fill this information gap. We found that shepherding was very effective. Using shepherds, livestock losses were five times lower than losses under lethal methods.

Read the full article at:

Livestock are threatened by predators – but old-fashioned shepherding may be an effective solution (theconversation.com)

by Heidi Hawkins - Research fellow, honorary research associate, University of Cape Town, South Africa

 

Summary:

• Researchers have spent years trapping and tracking the elusive caracal on the edges of the South African city of Cape Town to better understand the needs of these wild cats.
• Urban caracals have adapted their behavior in a number of ways to survive on the margins of the city, including hunting more during the day.
• Although highly adaptable, urban caracals face many challenges, including ingesting rat poison.
• Researchers recommend more greenways to allow the animals to survive in these heavily modified environments.

“The public should understand that while Cape Town’s caracals are impressively adaptable and able to persist around areas that are highly urbanized, they are still up against many threats that, if not faced and mitigated, will result in their local extinction,” Leighton says. “I think people should appreciate that caracals are the largest remaining predator in the area, and that anything we do to understand their ecology and to conserve them will also benefit the incredibly diverse array of animal and plant species in this biodiversity hotspot. They are therefore an ‘umbrella species’ that is very much worth conserving.” Read the full article at: ‘Studying a ghost’: In Cape Town, urban caracals give researchers lots to ponder (mongabay.com)

by Grace Hansen