Dr Chris Smith assists MTPA with collaring black footed cat

Dr Chris Smith assisted the MTPA with collaring a black footed cat recently.

The black footed cat is the smallest wild cat in Africa. Their status is “Vulnerable” on the IUCN red list of threatened species and the population is decreasing due to intraguild predation, disease and unsuitable farming practices, amongst other threats.

This collaring operation forms a part of the reintroduction programme for black-footed cats at Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, where they have been absent for several years. The collars will enable the MTPA management team to track and monitor their activity and behaviour, as well as evaluate their adaption to the area.

The collars were sponsored by the Aspinall Foundation.