South Africa:Small African Wild Cats

There is something mysterious and elusive about cats that has fascinated people for centuries. Africa's wealth of wildlife includes a number of beautiful small wild cats. Many of them are rarely observed, as they are nocturnal, shy and solitary.

Cat lovers and thematic collectors of cats on stamps, would be delighted to know that this set of stamps depicting small African Wild Cats were released on 4 February 2011.

Issue Description
The canceller bears the name Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal where the Emdoneni Lodge Animal Care & Rehab Centre is situated.

The aim of this centre is to care for wild cheetahs, serval cats, African wild cats and caracal, that have been orphaned or injured in the wild.

Breeding also takes place and where possible the offspring are released into their natural habitat.

Stamp
African Wild Cat (Felis silvestris) (Africa Airmail)

The African wild cat is one of five subspecies of Felis silvestris, which are widely distributed through Africa, Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

The African wild cat is believed to be the ancestor of modern domestic felines. The African wild cat could be mistaken for a domestic tabby, but is larger and has more distinct body stripes and a blunt tail. Its Afrikaans name Vaalboskat means Grey Bush Cat.

Although African wild cats are listed as common and widespread in Africa, their genetic integrity is threatened by interbreeding with domestic cats. It is quite rare to come across a pure bred African wildcat.

Remains of domesticated cats have been included in human burials as far back as 9,500 years ago in Cyprus.

Serval (Leptailarus serval) (Africa Airmail)

The name Serval is derived from a Portuguese word meaning "deer-like wolf". In Africa, it is commonly referred to as a bush cat, and in Afrikaans it is known as a Tierboskat, which means ''Tiger Bush Cat.

The Serval is a slender cat with unusually long legs for its body, which is about 500 mm high at the shoulders. The Serval has a golden brown coat, with black stripes down the spine and black spots on the flanks and tail. It has a small but long head and large rounded ears marked with alternating black and white stripes on the rear.

The Serval occurs only in Africa, where its preferred habitat is moist, tall grasslands, often associated with wetlands. In South Africa, the Serval is found in parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and in KwaZulu-Natal (Drakensberg). It is classified as rare in the South African Red Data Book.

Caracal (Felis caracal) (Africa Airmail)

The Caracal is the largest of the small cats and is often categorised as a medium-sized cat. Moving with grace and a sense of confident power, the Caracal is considered to be one of the most beautiful cats in the world.

It is one of the few cat species that do not have any spots or stripes on its coat. It is reddish-brown and has distinctive dark tufts on its large, pointed ears. The name Caracal is derived from the Turkish word "karakulak" meaning "Black-Eared". The Swahili name for Caracal is "Simbamangu", which means secretive lion or cat. This is because it is mainly nocturnal, secretive and solitary and are rarely seen.

The Caracal occurs throughout Africa and in parts of South East Asia. It is widespread in South Africa where it prefers open areas in woodland savannah, as well as rocky, hilly areas.

Caracals are sometimes killed by farmers, since they are a threat to livestock. In some areas of their range they are killed for their skin and meat.

Black-Footed Cat (Felis nigripes) (Africa Airmail)

The Black-Footed Cat, weighing a maximum of only 2.2 kg, is the second-smallest cat species in the world and Africa's smallest wild cat species.

Its name is derived from the black soles of its feet. In Afrikaans it is called a Miershooptier, which means Anthill Tiger, as it often makes its den in abandoned termite mounds.

Also called the Small Spotted Cat, its sleek, tawny fur is marked with bold, black spots and black rings around the legs. At night, its large eyes reflect light with an intense blue sheen. Its head is broad with large, prominent ears.

The Black-Footed Cat is endemic to Southern Africa. It is found only in the arid parts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and in the southern parts of Angola.

It obtains all its moisture from its food requiring no drinking water at all.

African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata) (Africa Airmail)

The Golden Cat's name is derived from its golden reddish coat. However, its colours vary from reddish to grey, and it was once thought to be two separate species. The Golden Cat's coat is with or without spots and the underside is pale to white often with blotches.

It is solidly built with a short tail. Its small, rounded face has few markings and the ears are mainly black.

The African Golden Cat occurs in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa from Senegal, Sierra Leone and Liberia in the west, through the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a minimal distribution in Uganda and Kenya in the east. Because Golden Cats are nocturnal and extremely shy, very few have been raised in captivity making them difficult to research.

Because the African Golden Cat frequently occupies the same territories as the leopard, it has been called "the Leopard’s brother".

Sheet
The Sheet of Ten contains two Se-tenant Blocks of Five (ten stamps; five designs).

References & Notes
References

Notes