Cats of Africa

Cats of Africa

All cats belong to the Felid family. They are powerfully built with large and highly developed brains which generally makes them stronger and more intelligent than their prey. All are extremely agile as exemplified by the domestic cat, which almost always lands on its feet from a fall. With the exception of the Cheetah, which is designed for high-speed pursuits, all cats conform to a similar anatomy. The skeleton, teeth and musculature of a Lion or Leopard is really just an upscaled version of the familiar domestic cat. Retractable claws, bifocal vision and acute hearing are features of all cats.

Mostly Solitary

Unlike members of the dog family (Canidae) which are highly social, most cats operate singly in exclusive territories. An exception to this rule is the Lion, which typically lives in prides of related females and their offspring. Male Cheetah and male Lion typically form ‘coalitions' of brothers, numbering from two to five and these hunt and defend home ranges together. Adult Leopard, Caracal, Serval (as well as Tiger, Jaguar, Puma and Snow Leopard) come together only to mate.

Indicators of ecosystem health

Cats are exclusively meat eaters and typically sit at the top of food chains. They are dependent upon a healthy population of prey animals and so are excellent indicators of ecosystem health. Due to their predatory ways, cats have conflicted with man since the beginning of time and particularly with the advent of domestic livestock. Throughout the African continent, and around the world, cats have been hunted and persecuted relentlessly as man has expanded his frontiers. Today, large cats are mostly confined to wildlife reserves and other protected areas.

Population crashes

Populations of all species, including small cats, have been on the decline for many decades. The Cheetah has been reduced to approximately 12 000 individuals from an estimated 100 000 in the past ten years, and is now extinct outside of Africa except for a tiny population in Iran. Lion numbers have also crashed in recent years, with an estimate of between 30 000 and 100 000 usually being quoted, although some suggest that as few as 15 000 may remain. Only five populations of 1 500 or more Lion survive (Serengeti-Mara, Kruger complex, northern Botswana, Selous and Kafue). The more adaptable Leopard has fared better but it is extremely difficult to estimate its total population; the minimum must be around 100 000 but since it is so secretive and largely nocturnal there could be five times this many. Despite decades of hunting for skins and wanton killing for ‘sport', by far the biggest problem for big cats is loss of habitat. The expanding green frontiers of Africa's ‘Peace Parks' certainly have the potential to allow big cat numbers to increase, but over most of the continent, rising human populations and expanding monoculture crops seem set to eliminate large predators outside of reserves within the next ten years.

Problematic reintroductions

The reintroduction and translocation of large cats into wildlife reserves had met with very little success until recently. Well-intentioned attempts by expat conservationists such as Joy and George Adamson in Kenya, invariably met with failure, if not tragedy. All too often, those concerned with ‘saving' Lions and other big cats have become personally involved with individual animals (often taking the role of surrogate parents) and the resultant bonding (sometimes even imprinting) made it impossible for the cats to integrate with wild members of their species. A loss of fear of humans can have severe implications. Captive breeding of cats for release into the wild is hugely problematic due to imprinting. Furthermore, attempts have often been made to reintroduce big cats into areas where existing (albeit small) populations already existed which demonstrated a poor comprehension of predator dynamics.

andBEYOND success

In the early 1990s, andBEYOND's newly created Phinda Private Game Reserve became the first reserve of its kind to reintroduce a viable and self-sustaining population of Cheetah. From an initial group of six, the Phinda population has remained stable at between 20 and 30 individuals over the past five years. A total of 86 cubs have been born since 1992, with 70% of these surviving to independence (and many being successfully relocated to other wildlife reserves, including Kwandwe). This survival rate is in sharp contrast to the 95% mortality rate of Cheetah cubs in the Serengeti-Mara, where predation by Spotted Hyena and Lion is intense. Today, Phinda offers one of the best opportunities to view and photograph these speedy cats anywhere in Africa. Phinda has also been successful in establishing a viable population of Lion which, like the Cheetah, have increased to such an extent that individuals have been relocated elsewhere in the subcontinent.

The future

Notwithstanding the success of andBEYOND's Cheetah and Lion reintroductions at Phinda and Kwandwe, the future of Africa's (and the world's) large cats is in creating and maintaining extensive protected areas which can sustain genetically viable populations.

- Duncan Butchart -

Posted: Mammals by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006