Caracal hunting in Ethiopia

Caracals are reddish-brown medium-sized cats with long black ear tassels. They are well-built animals with strong legs and huge paws for their size. This enables them to jump high into the air and catch low-flying birds whilst in flight. Caracals are found throughout Ethiopia but favour the more semi-arid regions. These well-adapted cats prefer the mountainous areas, savannah and open woodlands as opposed to the highland forested areas of the country. These solitary nocturnal predators often punch beyond their weight taking down some fair-sized prey animals. However, their normal prey varies from rats and mice to rabbits. Small domestic stock animals like sheep and goats are also preyed upon especially if not corralled at night. Caracals are classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN, no special hunting permits are required.