SATURDAY's WILD CATS

The AFRICAN GOLDEN CAT (Profelis aurata) is a shy, solidly built cat inhabiting the forests of equatorial Africa.  They are so shy that no dens with kittens have been studied in the wild and very few have been raised in captivity making them difficult to research.  This cat frequently occupies the same territories as the Leopard, hence their common name "The Leopard's Brothers".  They are arboreal and have been seen in field studies resting on lower branches of trees during the day.  This striking animal is usually found in the rainforests, but they also inhabit drier woodlands as long as they are near water.  They are known to inhabit high mountainous areas up to 3,600 metres living in alpine moorlands, sub-alpine and bamboo forests.

These cats are typically found in two different colours - red or gray which were once thought to be two different species.  Their cheeks, chin, and under parts are whitish in colour with their belly and inner sides of limbs marked with a variable amount of dark spotting.  Body colouring ranges from chestnut through fawn to silver, with varying marking: spotted all over, spots on the back and neck, no patterns except on flanks. and no pattern except for their belly.  The African Golden Cat's head is realtively small sporting a large muzzle, with beautiful eye colouration with irises from green to golden brown; their ears are rounded with black backsides.  Melanistic individuals have been known to occur.  They grow to approximately 31 inches in length with a 12 inch tail.  They generally weigh between 12 and 35 lbs.  The males are typically larger than the females.

Their prey consists of rodents, monkey, duiker, hyrax, other small ungulates and a variety of birds usually taken by stalking and rushing at ground level.    They are known to scavenge other predator's kills.  They are also the prey of leopards.  Fortunately, these cats adapt well to logged areas which provide a dense secondary undergrowth which they favour.  This type of man-made 'edge environments' contain a high density of rodents.  However, primary forests without human disturbance is their optimal habitat.  They rank high in the local religious beliefs of the Cameroon pygmy tribesmen who carry their tail as a talisman to protect them when hunting elephants.  It is said that their fur is so valued for tribal robes, it is not usually traded by the indigenous people.  In fact, these cats are so prized by the locals, these same tribesmen will not reveal their location to researchers.

In Uganda's Bwindi National Park eradiction of the Leopard has left the African Golden Cat the dominant carnivorous predator in that area.  Hunting is prohibited in only 12 of this cat's 26 range countries at present.

Conservation Status:  Present Status and Population unknown.  African golden cats are currently protected under Apppendix II of CITES, Endangered Species Act.  Their main predators are man and larger carnivores occupying the same territory.

The majority of this information was obtained from www.tigerhomes.org while photos came from various sources.