When photographer Kelsey Green stopped beside the road in South Africa's Garden Route National Park recently to take some snapshots of a heron on the hunt, she had no idea that her camera lens wasn't the only thing focused on the water bird. Hidden in the grass nearby, a caracal was stalking its prey. Luckily for Green, she had her camera in hand when the tawny cat made its move.
At first, Green's attention was entirely absorbed in the avian action: the black-headed heron was putting on a show, skewering rodents from the long grass and swallowing them whole. But just as she was preparing to leave, a streak of russet caught her eye. "My first thought was that it was a spooked duiker or grysbok," she told Wild Card Magazine. "Until I managed to pinpoint the heron and saw a caracal hanging on to its neck. I was shocked."
The wild cat dispatched its prey in seconds with a swift bite to the neck, before carrying it into a nearby thicket to enjoy the meal in peace. "As I work in conservation, I have had the privilege of seeing some pretty amazing sightings in the Kruger National Park and other big reserves," Green explained. "Wildlife sightings like this are not as commonplace in the Garden Route, so it was particularly special."
Although caracals are widespread throughout much of Africa, these shy felines are rarely seen. With their distinctive ear tufts, the cats are often referred to as Africa's lynx (a misnomer as caracals are only distantly related to their American and European cousins).
A current research project into the diets of caracals in Cape Town has turned up everything from penguins to mole rats proving that these opportunistic hunters will feed on whatever food is available. According to Laurel Serieys, Project Coordinator for the Urban Caracal Project, birds are often on the menu. "We have observed [caracals] to prey on a vast array of birds including guineafowl, peacocks, smaller song birds, buzzards, and an array of birds you would expect to find near the coast or in marshy areas including Egyptian geese, oystercatchers, sea gulls, and cormorants."
Like many wild cats, caracals rely on stealth to hunt their prey, stalking as close as they can to a target before pouncing or leaping to catch it. Known for their impressive acrobatics, these spring-loaded cats can launch themselves ten feet (three meters) into the air to nab their prey.
Caracals are thought to be particularly numerous in South Africa's Western Cape province, where they are sometimes persecuted for preying on livestock. In fact, they're regarded as "pests" by farmers in much of southern Africa, and are often killed to avoid livestock losses. In addition to unregulated hunting, habitat loss poses a threat to their survival.
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