Jochen and Mira are in the enviable position of staying at the Ezulwini Game Lodges in the Balule Nature Reserve. This dynamic photographer/videographer duo are privy to incredible lion sightings of the River Pride and the Olifants West Pride, but last night they stumbled across a different type of cat species – a caracal! Like the majority of cats, the caracal is a nocturnal species which boasts finely tuned stalking skills. What a superb sighting of such a solitary cat.
The caracal’s general hunting technique is similar to that of a leopard’s. They ambush their prey, which normally consists of dassies, grey rhebok, rodents and small carnivores, and then stash it high up in a tree. They are incredible predators and will even kill a tawny eagle. With their supremely powerful hindquarters they can leap 5 metres into the air without needing a running start.
Caracals are territorial loners notorious for ambushing and flushing out unsuspecting birds at waterholes. When they come across birds at waterholes, they simply smack them out the way with one swift swat of their paw. They’ll devour the entire bird in one sitting.
Farmers resent the fact that caracals steal their livestock and these agile cats do come under threat from humans. However, caracals actually play a pivotal roll in rodent/pest control in farming areas.
These opportunistic carnivores are admired for their speed and agility. What a rare sighting of this pointy eared cat!
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