Hermes the caracal was hit by a car on Philip Kgosana Drive. Picture: Scott Clarkson
Cape Town - A beloved adult male caracal called Hermes has died after being hit by a passing car early on Tuesday morning.
He was hit by the car on Philip Kgosana Drive, and was identified by his blue ear tag. Urban Caracal Project, in a statement, said Hermes was a brave and determined character.
“We first met Hermes in August 2018 when he had been hit by a car near Kloof Nek, but luckily survived. The incident severely broke his hind leg. Although he healed, the incident caused his right hind leg to be shorter than his left. He was rehabilitated and released by our team and the SPCA Wildlife Unit,” it said.
Unlike other spotted wild cats, caracals do not have any uniquely distinguishable markings, but Hermes could be recognised by his ear tags; light blue on the left and light green on the right.
The Urban Caracal Project said Hermes' story inspired many people and raised important awareness for both urban caracals and the broader conservation of Cape Town’s wildlife.
“It is a testament to his remarkable life and resilience that we have had a flood of messages from the public. So many people have written to ask about him. He was a living symbol of the adaptability of wildlife staking out a life on the urban edge.
“As part of our project, we collect caracal roadkill often, sometimes multiple times a month. It is always hard but finding a tagged cat, and one with such personality who was so well known and loved by all of us, was devastating. We are still processing his death and how best to pay tribute to him,“ it said.
The organisation has appealed for donations for a project that seeks to to understand the threats to caracals like Hermes.
The project can be viewed at www.urbancaracal.org/support
Cape Times