Following the frenzy caused by Gordy the Seal in May, a new wild animal in Cape Town has stolen our hearts - and she's the beautiful Callisto the Caracal.
What makes Callisto so fascinating is the fact that she only has one operational eye. For many wild animals, an impairment such as the loss of vision could lead to difficulties surviving in their natural habitat; but not our Callisto - she is thriving!
Callisto was first spotted in the Cape Point Nature Reserve in 2023. While her exact age is unknown, it is believed that she is five or six years old, as she was already an adult at the time of the first sighting.
Speaking to Time Out Cape Town, Dr Gabriella Leighton, the Coordinator of the Urban Caracal Project, believes that the loss of sight in her left eye is the result of "a glaucoma from an old injury".
Dr Leighton explains: "Losing sight in one eye would be challenging for a predator that relies on vision to hunt. Despite her visual impairment, Callisto has been able to successfully move around her territory, take down prey, find mates, and raise multiple kittens."
Hearing that she has been able to raise kittens makes Callisto's story even more incredible.
"Caracals are remarkably resilient and adaptable animals, but Callisto is especially so! She is also a great mother and it's great to see her bringing up kittens over the years. We have documented her with at least two kittens: one in 2023 and one this year. Kittens were spotted later in the year, around July/August through to December, so they would be late summer births," Dr Leighton adds.
What is the Urban Caracal Project?
The Urban Caracal Project is a research group based in the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild) at the University of Cape Town.
Founded by Dr Laurel Serieys in 2014, it is now coordinated by Dr Leighton. The Project aims to evaluate the effects of urbanisation on the behaviour, movement patterns, diet, and genetic health of caracals in the Cape Peninsula.
The Project also assess threats to the survival of caracals, such as vehicle collisions, exposure to disease and pesticides, dog attacks, and snaring/poaching.
"If you are lucky enough to spot a caracal, remember to give it space and be respectful of wildlife. We recommend staying at least 25m away and keeping as quiet as possible. We also encourage people to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about caracals and Cape Town wildlife," Dr Leighton adds.
Why are there reflective caracals on the side of Cape Town's roads?
As vehicle collisions are the main cause of death for Cape Town's caracals, the Urban Caracal Project collaborated with the eARTh agency to place 'Reflective Rooikatte' in caracal roadkill hotspots.
The placement of these reflective images is informed by a decade of mortality data the Project has collected and is done to raise awareness for the Project and alert drivers to slow down in wildlife crossing areas.
How you can help the Urban Caracal Project
To report caracal sightings, please do so by visiting the Project's website. Should you see a caracal being knocked over, please immediately call the Project on +27798378814.
For those who are able to donate to the Project's lab work investigating stress and exposure to pollutants in caracals living on the urban edge, you can do so here.
Fun fact about Callisto
"Callisto is not tagged or collared but because she has been spotted fairly often and is recognisable due to her blind eye, we decided to run a poll on our social media to give her a name. We chose some names from characters that were partially sighted. The other options were Althea and Themis, but Callisto got 55% of the votes. We thought this would be a good way to involve the public in the project to increase interest in the species and to highlight the unique personalities of the caracals we study," Dr Leighton explains.
Did you know?
Caracals can jump up to three metres into the air to catch their prey!
Keen on nature? Here's where to find the wild ones in Cape Town
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