It is very unusual that we come across a predator that we struggle to firmly identify, but just that happened this week. A guide brought in a dead cat to the research centre that he had found on the road, claiming it was a highly secretive Black-Footed Cat. Our interest was immediately sparked as this area is supposedly out of their range. Their normal range is in the Western dry section of Southern Africa, and as none of us come from there nor have seen these cats alive, we were a little unsure. Was it a Black-Footed Cat or an African Wildcat kitten?

We took extensive photographs and they were sent off to an expert at a museum within the heart of the range of the Black-Footed Cat, who confirms that it is indeed a member of this species.

This photo shows where the cat was put in a tree to prevent scavengers taking it overnight when it was brought in by a guide.

On suspecting we had something unusual, we froze the specimen, and will now send it down to the museum for analysis and to be a record of the cats that exist in this far reach of their range.

This photo shows just how small the cat is.

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