Did you know? South Africa is home to seven species of indigenous wild cats. The big cats of Africa, lions, leopards and cheetah, receive much focus and attention through tourism and the fact that they are more easily sighted than their smaller cousins.
The small cats form an essential link in our ecosystem, but desperately require the same status as the larger cats.
Big cats
- Lion - Aside from occupying the top rung of the predation ladder, the lion also tops the glamour stakes. Sadly, it does have one formidable enemy in humankind, which has expelled it from most of the country so that it now remains almost exclusively in conservation areas.
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Leopard - The beautiful leopard survives in a larger area, including much of the southern Cape and far north of the country, although numbers are small in some places. - Cheetah - The cheetah is the speed champ, capable of dashes of almost 100 kilometres an hour. Its population is comparatively small and confined mostly to the far north (including the Kruger National Park), the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape, and reserves in KwaZulu-Natal and North West province.
Small cats
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African wild cat - This mainly nocturnal cat is sandy brown or grey with distinctive orange ears and black strips on the tail. - Black-footed cat - This cat’s body is marked with dark lines and spots with black bands on the legs and feet have black soles.
- Caracal - The caracal is wine-red, grey or sand coloured with black marks above the eyes and long, tufted back ears.
- Servals - These cats have the largest ears and longest legs of the cat family, relative to body size. They are tawny or pale gold.
Info & image sources: South Africa Info and karoocats.org
South African safari accommodation
Portfolio offers luxury safari lodge accommodation on private game reserves around South Africa in the Eastern Cape, Garden Route and Kruger regions to name a few.
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Visit www.portfoliocollection.com to view and book.