Is this what I think it is?
 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=afklyn

Looks like a caracal

What do you think it is?

I saw one at night at Savuti camp in Botswana, but not easy to see, and I didn't get any photos, ever a blurry one (or three).

I think it's a caracal too!

The photos were taken on the first evening of our second safari in November 2005. We'd seen several cats that night one right after the other so quickly that it was like a crash course in Nocturnal Cats 101.

We were so focused on the leopard we saw that night and were such newbies that some of the other sightings didn't really register.

It wasn't until I re-read the "I wish I had seen" thread and saw the "Caracal - does this count?" thread that it jogged the deep recesses of my memory ;) So I went looking through my old photos and videos and found this.

If it's a caracal, that makes leopard, African wildcat, serval and caracal on the same night. The following night we saw aardwolf for the first time. Beginner's luck!

Definitely a caracal!

Where were you, very productive night drives.

I was on El Karama Ranch in Laikipia, Kenya.

Oh and that leopard was our first too. We didn't see leopard on our first safari, so we were all the more fixated on the leopard sighting.

I saw lion, wild cat, serval and caracal on the same night drive, and aardwolf the next morning, at Savuti camp.

There's also another small cat, the black-footed cat, that's described in Richard Estes' book, but I haven't seen it mentioned in any trip reports.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-footed_Cat

Great to hear more Caracal tales !
On my recent trip I spoke about the black footed cat/ spotted cat and our guide knows where some live on a private farm that he is hoping to open up to visits. I hope to combine this with a bit more effort after Serval

Now I'm going to have to go back and post an addendum to my trip report!

Speaking of beginner's luck, more blurry images from the second night of our first safari in Jan 2005 http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=8wr3ql

And it's possible that on our first night we saw a honey badger but I can't be sure now. I remember we were sitting in front of our tent after dinner and I saw something black and white and weasel-like (this was at Sweetwaters in Kenya). It was dark and hard to make out. I looked through my old notes and couldn't find that I'd written down anything. I was probably thinking "we'll see lots more of these" ;)

I did however find that I'd written down "white bellied bastard" in my journal :D (no bird book then).

Michael,
Was Savuti one of your first safaris?

The problem with these early sightings is I feel we didn't <i>truly</i> appreciate their significance. I'm so glad we didn't see a pangolin until our 5th safari ;)

Saw the black-footed cat at Sandibe in 2003. It was at night but we had a clear view for a few seconds.

Patty, your second set is of an aardvark -- that's No. 1 on my list.

Sweetwaters brings back good memories. We saw an Ardvark and a Pangolin there back in 93, but (I dont normally name drop) that was possibly surpassed when Richard Leakey dropped in at the next table at lunch.

We were genuinely awestruck and we only visited because of the black rhino project !!

If we're counting Richard Leakey sightings ;) we saw him on that same first safari but not at Sweetwaters. It was at Nairobi NP on our way to Sheldrick.

I think there was a pangolin in my tent on my first safari. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures. :^o

Patty, look through your photos carefully to see if there’re any golden cats!

Those ears sure look like Caracal to me!

Definitely a caracal. That must have been some night drive ! The camp should use it as part of their marketing !

Thanks everyone for confirming!

philw,
Marketing? What marketing? ;)

They hardly have a website! There's one for the horseback safari operation www.horsebackinkenya.com that mentions the camp briefly but that's it. It's an &uuml;ber low key family run ranch.

I came across it when looking for an affordable place to stay in Laikipia. Couldn't find any feedback or much info on it but decided to take a chance. I like places that are off the radar and we loved it!

On our first stay they only really had one guest accommodation and it was self catered so we brought provisions and they provided a cook. They've since built 4 more cottages and have gone a bit more upscale but I miss the days of plastic dinnerware and mismatched glasses ;) It had a certain charm but I imagine difficult for tour operators to sell.