Research overview: spatial ecology of caracals around Table Mountain National Park

GPS-tracking of caracals on the Cape Peninsula has revealed how they configure home ranges across the fragmented landscape of Table Mountain National Park, suburbs, vineyards and coastline. This overview synthesises movement-ecology findings on home-range size, habitat selection favouring natural vegetation and edges, nocturnal use of areas near development, and individual variation in urban tolerance. It examines how the patchwork of protected and developed land shapes caracal space use and exposure to roads and poisons. The synthesis frames spatial ecology as the framework connecting caracal behaviour to the specific threats and opportunities of an African urban-protected-area interface.