Research overview: the Urban Caracal Project on the Cape Peninsula

With leopards long gone from the Cape Peninsula, the caracal is the last remaining wild felid predator around Cape Town, and the Urban Caracal Project has made it a flagship for urban wildlife research in Africa. This overview synthesises the project GPS-telemetry, diet, toxicology and disease findings: caracals navigating a mosaic of Table Mountain National Park, vineyards, suburbs and roads, with vehicle collisions and poisoning as major threats. It covers the species surprising use of urban-edge habitat, its diet spanning native prey and human-associated species, and its role engaging the public in coexistence. The synthesis frames Cape Town caracals as Africa premier urban-felid case study.