Caracals update January 2011

Yoda's and Medusa's latest walk with Johannes and the volunteers was a busy one! The lucky group of volunteers got the chance to see Yoda and Medusa displaying their hunting skills. The two caracals found a tree full of birds and slowly made their way up the tree in a highly organised pincer movement towards the birds. Yoda was the first to attack, swiftly followed by Medusa, and both cats executed extremely accurate jumps giving the birds no chance to escape. Then, in true cat style, the caracals played with the poor birds for a while before they ate them.......has no-one ever told them that it is rude to play with your food!

After their bird snack it was time to take the caracals back to their enclosure and on the walk back Yoda and Medusa stopped suddenly and seemed highly interested in something moving behind the bushes, but were too afraid to investigate any further. So Johannes and the volunteer group had a closer look at what was in the bush and saw a snake. Johannes told the group that it was a black mamba snake, the most poisonous snake in Namibia. So it was very lucky that the carcals alerted the volunteers to the snake's presence and it also shows that the caracals have not lost any of their innate instinct for danger!

Our Caracals - Sept 10

Medusa and Cleo are still enjoying their daily walks with Johannes and our volunteers. Both enjoy running through the long grass chasing and catching mice and even though these two are in captivity there is nothing wrong with their stalking and hunting skills which goes to show they never lose those instincts!

May 2010

The gorgeous caracals continue to delight all who meet them, especially cat-lovers. Right now they are very keen to come to the fence to greet passers-by, as the regular walks Cleo and Medusa enjoy so much have stopped temporarily whilst Bushman tracker Johannes is on holiday. 

  

They are particularly keen to congregate by the gate to their camp when people approach them, but when they finally realise there’s only company and no a walk, they love to rub around volunteers’ legs and if they could, they’d purr as they are stroked and admired.  The three girls are amused for a brief time with a ball, while Yoda warily looks on – or is it enviously?

  

The sight of one of them standing at their door of their night shelter, looking at all the world around them like any proud home-owner, is a special privilege.

March 2010

Our beautiful caracals are receiving a lot of attention at the moment as Johannes has started to take them on a walk each day with the volunteers. Cleo and Medusa lead the way (with tracking collar attached in case they take the lead a little too much!) and seem to relish the opportunity to put their hunting skills to good use. 

On one walk recently, Cleo showed off her hunting instinct as she quickly dashed into a bush, leaving the group, where she hid for a few minutes. Whilst everyone else was speculating as to what she was up to, she was busy with a mongoose she had found! The mongoose didn’t stand much of a chance and Cleo emerged from the bush, standing tall and proud!

As Yoda isn’t tame enough to be taken out on walks he stays in the camp with Gudiva who keeps him company. However, they’re never short of attention and are always near the fence when people pass by to say hello.