Baroness Caracal



Date of Birth
1/1/1990

My Photo Album

History
The caracals at CPT attract visitors in part because of their distinctive black ears with tufts and sleek bodies. While our group at CPT all are a golden tawny or beige color, in the wild they may be reddish or even black in color (with silvery instead of black ears).

Baroness Caracal can provide a great example of the caracal’s beauty, with a gorgeous face and ears. However, she also shows how animal’s instincts may sometimes fail them. Caracals at CPT are often seen grooming themselves, just like domestic cats, and they usually keep their fur free of burrs, leaves and other bits of vegetation. Baroness surprised everyone though by apparently not being able to groom her back, resulting in the accumulation of large knots of matted fur. Staff didn’t want to anesthetize her unnecessarily, so it was only when she had to be examined by a vet that they took the opportunity to shave off those furry lumps so that she once again looks like the other caracals!

Contributed by Maria de Bruyn.
photo/s courtesy of Maria de Bruyn and Amanda Byrne, ©CPT'