Journal of East African Natural History 101(1): 3–16 (2012)
IDENTIFICATION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE AFRICAN GOLDEN CAT CARACAL AURATA IN KENYA Thomas M. Butynski Eastern Africa Primate Diversity and Conservation Program P.O. Box 149, 10400 Nanyuki, Kenya
[email protected] Helen Douglas-Dufresne Milgis Trust, P.O. Box 93, 10105 Naro Moru, Kenya
[email protected] Yvonne A. de Jong Eastern Africa Primate Diversity and Conservation Program P.O. Box 149, 10400 Nanyuki, Kenya
[email protected]
ABSTRACT The African golden cat Caracal aurata is Africa’s least known felid. This paper describes how C. aurata can be most readily identified in the field and reviews what is known about this species’ distribution and conservation status in Kenya. Forty-six records for C. aurata from 38 sites were compiled. The Mau Forest is the only site in Kenya from which specimens of C. aurata have been obtained and remain available. Most of the records are for the four largest highland forests (Mount Elgon, Mau Forest, Aberdares Range, Mount Kenya). Other sites include Olorgesailie, Shompole Swamp, Pelewa Hills, Kaja, Tsavo West National Park, Tsavo East National Park, Maunga Hills, and Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. The distribution of C. aurata in Kenya remains poorly known. There can be little doubt that C. aurata is one of Kenya’s rarest mammals and that its population is now highly fragmented. An open-access database (‘GoldenCatBase’) has been established to help bring more attention to C.aurata in Kenya and to aid in the compilation of information on its distribution and conservation status. Keywords: African golden identification, Kenya.
cat,
Caracal aurata, conservation, distribution,
INTRODUCTION Although the African golden cat Caracal aurata (Temminck, 1827) (figure 1) has a large geographic range in the forest zone of Equatorial Africa, it is Africa’s least studied felid (Brodie, 2009). Indeed, observations of C. aurata in the wild are rare. Previously placed in the genus Felis or genus Profelis (Ray & Butynski, in press), a
4
T.M. Butynski, H. Douglas-Dufresne & Y.A. de Jong
recent molecular study indicates that the African golden cat is congeneric with the caracal C. caracal (Schreber, 1776) and serval C. serval (Schreber, 1776). Divergence time from the common ancestor with C. caracal is estimated at 1.9 million years (Johnson et al., 2006).
Figure 1. Reddish-brown or ‘golden’ phase of the eastern subspecies of the African golden cat Caracal aurata aurata. This is the most common colour phase for C. aurata reported for Kenya. Drawing by Stephan Nash.
Caracal aurata is known to occur from Senegal eastwards across equatorial Africa to south-western Kenya. There are no records for Tanzania (Kingdon, 1977; Ray & Butynski, in press). Two subspecies are currently recognized. Caracal a. celidogaster (Temminck, 1827) is the West Africa subspecies, occurring west of the Cross River on the Nigeria-Cameroon border; the spotting is usually all over the body, there is a dark mid-line along the back, and the tail is banded (either distinctly or indistinctly). Caracal a. aurata is the eastern Africa subspecies, occurring east of the Congo River; there is no spotting except on the flanks and belly, the dark mid-dorsal line is absent or faint, and the tail is either not banded or indistinctly banded. East of the Cross River and west of the Congo River there is a large intermediate or clinal zone (Van Mensch & van Bree, 1969). This paper is concerned with the identification, distribution and conservation status of C. aurata in Kenya. The main objectives of this paper are (1) to draw attention to the existence of this species while facilitating more rapid and accurate identification in the field, (2) to put into one place all of the reported records for C. aurata in Kenya, and (3) to provide, based on the reported records, a preliminary map of the distribution of C. aurata in Kenya.
African golden cat in Kenya
5
METHODS The information presented here on C. aurata was obtained primarily through (1) a detailed review of the literature; (2) examination of museum collections, photographs and videos; and (3) correspondence over the past two decades with many of Kenya’s most experienced naturalists and others. In search of reports of encounters with C. aurata, the authors directly contacted more than 50 people. About 550 additional people were contacted by posting the request for information on two popular websites (groups.yahoo.com/group/kenyabirdsnet/ and groups.yahoo.com/group/tanzaniabirds/). Most of the sight records were obtained by experienced naturalists, very few of whom had any doubt that what they observed was C. aurata. No attempt was made to validate or otherwise ‘judge’ any of the sight records. Some observers reported encountering C. aurata at the same site on more than one occasion. IDENTIFICATION
Caracal aurata is a medium-size, strongly built cat with a small, round head, short, rounded, black-backed ears, and a medium length, black-tipped, tail (figure 1). Adult females are, on average, about 65% the weight of adult males (ca. 7 kg vs. 11 kg). The colour of the pelage is very variable; colour morphs include pale sandy, reddish-brown, chestnut-red, chocolatebrown, greyish-brown, silver-grey, bluish-grey, and jet-black (melanistic). Dark grey to dark brown spots are nearly always visible on the belly and inside limbs. Elsewhere the spotting ranges from absent to densely covering the entire body. Spots vary from large and distinct circles or rosettes, to small and obscure freckles (Van Mensch & van Bree, 1969; Ray & Butynski, in press). Most observations of C. aurata in the wild last for but a few seconds and are usually made under less than ideal conditions; light is often poor and vegetation is usually dense. While C. aurata may be active at any time of the day or night, most observations are within a few hours after dawn or within a few hours before dusk. The impression of the senior author, based on several encounters with C. aurata in south-western Uganda, is that this species is particularly active during the grey period soon after mid- and late-afternoon rains. Almost all observations of C. aurata are of animals on the ground, often in forest in the vicinity of water (especially streams and rivers) and along dirt roads that pass through, or next to, forest. People encountering C. aurata in the wild for the first time are often confused as to the identity of the species they are observing. This is mainly because few people know of the existence of C. aurata. In addition, those who are aware of this species do not know what the diagnostic characters are, and, therefore, fail to note these characters during what is usually a brief encounter. As such, we here provide a summary of how to quickly, and unambiguously, distinguish adult C. aurata from adults of the other six species of felid of tropical Africa. Body size readily distinguishes C. aurata (adult body weight = 6–14 kg) from adults of the three largest of Africa’s felids; leopard Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) (28–60 kg), cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (Schreber, 1775) (35–65 kg), and lion Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) (122–182 kg). In addition, all three of these species have tails that are long relative to the head-body length. Of these three species, it is only with P. pardus that C. aurata is broadly sympatric. A small, melanistic, P. pardus can be distinguished from a melanistic C. aurata by its proportionately much longer tail that trails well behind the body. The tail of P. pardus is >60% the length of the head-body vs. 2400 m in some moist sites [e.g. at 2440 m in the montane forest/bush/glade mix that is common in the vicinity of The Ark on the Salient of the Aberdares (D. Gulden, pers. comm.) and to >2600 m on farmland on the northern slope of Mount Kenya (W. Knocker, pers. comm.)]. Study of the drawings and text presented in Kingdon (1977), in Sunquist & Sunquist (2009), and in this article, should serve as a good primer to identifying C. aurata in the field. Some of the best photographs of wild C. aurata are presented in Boy (2003), in Bahaa-el-din et al. (2011), and at ARKive (www.arkive.org). Excellent camera trap videos of wild C. aurata have been obtained by Laila Bahaa-el-din in Gabon. These can be viewed at: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/29/scientists-capture-rare-video-of-elusive-african-cat/. Be aware that many of the photographs of C. aurata that have been published (e.g. Boy, 2003; Sunquist & Sunquist, 2009), or which appear on the internet, are of obese, captive, individuals that may look considerably different from free-living individuals.
8
T.M. Butynski, H. Douglas-Dufresne & Y.A. de Jong
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Habitat Over its extensive geographic range, C. aurata occurs from 0–3600 m in a wide range of habitats: woodland, thicket, savannah/forest mosaic, coastal forest, riverine forest, gallery forest, swamp forest, lowland forest, mid-altitude forest, montane forest, subalpine forest, and moorland (Kingdon, 1977, Ray & Butynski, in press). More than any other African felid, C. aurata is associated with forest and with the edge of forest (e.g. river banks, glades). Mean annual rainfall over the known geographic range is about 1200–2400 mm (Ray & Butynski, in press). Colour phase Where the colour of the C. aurata that was encountered is not reported (table 1), it seems likely that the animal encountered was of the typical (expected) golden/reddish/tawny colour. Of the 33 sightings in Kenya where the colour phase was mentioned, 27 (82%) of the individuals were golden/reddish/tawny, five (15%) were grey, and one (3%) was melanistic. Other colour phases probably also occur in Kenya but have yet to be reported. Group size For Kenya, there are only six reports of more than one animal being observed during an encounter: Dent (Gandar Dower, 1937) observed a group of four on Mount Kenya in 1931; Hardy (1979) observed an adult with two young in the Aberdares in 1979; J. Fanshawe et al. (pers. comm.) observed two to the west of Arabuko-Sokoke in 1983. Virani (1993, pers. comm.), twice, observed an adult female with two kittens in Arabuko-Sokoke in 1992–93. M. Wheeler et al. (pers. comm.) observed two at Tassia in 2009. When the number of animals encountered is not mentioned in a report, it seems fairly safe to assume that only one individual was observed. If this assumption is made, then about 87% of the 46 encounters were with single C. aurata. Distribution in Kenya There are only three reports for C. aurata in Kenya that are based on ‘animals in the hand’ (table 1, figure 4). The only record for C. aurata in Kenya that can be confirmed at this time by a specimen is that of A. Toschi who obtained two skins from Ogiek tribesman in the Mau Forest in early 1946 (Toschi, 1946; Boy, 2003). One of these specimens is, today, in the Mammalogy Section of the Zoology Department at the National Museums of Kenya. The present location of the other specimen is not known. In 1955, Parker (2004) recovered a jacket made of animal skins from a Mau Mau fighter in the Aberdares. One of the skins was identified at the Coryndon Museum (now the National Museums of Kenya) as that of a C. aurata. The whereabouts of this skin at this time is not known. Ken Brown (pers. comm.) reports finding a C. aurata in a snare in 1974 at Kadja, near Mutha, Ukambani Area. This individual was not collected and no photograph was taken. The oldest published ‘sight record’ for C. aurata in Kenya is by R.E. Dent (Gandar Dower, 1937; Boy, 2003) of four animals in 1931 at the headwaters of the Kathita River, above Meru, north-eastern Mount Kenya (table 1, figure 4). The distribution map for C. aurata that is presented in Boy (2003) depicts 16 sites for Kenya, one of which derives from specimens (Toschi, 1946), while the other 15 are based on sight records. Here we report on 46 records for C. aurata in Kenya, all but three (6%) of which are ‘sight only’ records (see above). There is no photograph or video of a live C. aurata in Kenya.
Kassawai R., Mt. Elgon
Kitum Cave, Mt. Elgon N.P..
Endebess Bluff, Mt. Elgon N.P.
1 km SW of Kimothon Gate, Mt. Elgon N.P. Koitoboss Peak Road, Mt. Elgon N.P.
Koitoboss Peak Road, Mt. Elgon N.P. Upper Legoman Valley, Mau F.R. Mau Forest
Shompole Swamp at foot of Mt. Shompole Ewaso Ngiro R. near Shompole Swamp Ol Keju R., Olorgesailie Lokululit, Pelewa Hills, south of Kajiado Kirichwa Kidogo R. off Riverside Drive, Nairobi
2
3
4
5
6
9
13
11 12
10
8
7
6
Oct. 2004
Chelulus Circuit, Mt. Elgon N.P.
1
Late 1980s
Feb. 1986 2001–2003
1997
1989
Pre-1946
1951
19 Feb. 2012
Mid-July 2011
2006
18 Dec. 2001
2005
1943
Date
Site Site number Mixed forest with podo, juniper, and figs
Vegetation type*
ca. 1730
Riverine scrub Streambeds and hillsides in semi-arid areas ?
ca. 1000 ca. 1600
Greyish-red
Warm chestnut ?
?
?
ca. 650
Reddish
?
Golden-brown
Grey
Golden-brown
Golden-brown
?
Warm chestnut
Podo with thick undergrowth Mixed montane forest dominated by olive and juniper Olive forest with open glades ?
Podo and bamboo forest
Juniper and podo open forest and glade
?
Golden-brown
Pelage colour
Between 2000– ? 2500 ca. 700 Riverine scrub
ca. 2500
3000
2400
2400
2200
2225
Between 2000– Forest 2400
2010
Altitude (m)
Table 1. Summary of 46 reports for the African golden cat Caracal aurata in Kenya.
I. McRae cited in Boy (2003) M. W ykstra & C. Wambua cited in Boy (2003) Burchard (2003)
A. Melesi cited in Boy (2003)
I. McRae cited in Boy (2003)
Toschi (1946)
Seth-Smith (1995)
D. Martins, pers. comm.
K. Avery & S. Avery, pers. comm.
S. Turner, pers. comm.
D. Martins cited in Boy (2003)
S.E. Mamlin, pers. comm.
B. Brooksbank cited in Boy (2003)
D. Martins, pers. comm.
Source
African golden cat in Kenya 9
Upper Honi R., 11 Aug. 2003 Aberdares N.P. The Ark, Aberdares N.P. 6 Jan. 1995
16
Probably Aberdares 1951 Forest Western edge of Solio 1980 Conservancy on northeastern foothills of Aberdares Range Moyok R., Tharua 2005
Moyok R., Tharua
Lower Rongai R., Mt. Kenya
21
21
22
20
1944
2009
7 Oct. 1979
?
19
Eastern Aberdares Range Kinaini R., Aberdares F.R.
ca. 1932
1 Dec. 1994 12 July 1995
18
17
Salient, Aberdares N.P. Salient, Aberdares N.P.
15 15
?
ca. 2370
ca. 2200
1830
Near river in yellow fever forest Near river in yellow fever forest. ?
Thick bush
ca. 1900
1830
?
?
Between 2100– ? 2800 2440 Forest
Moorland
? ?
2500
? ?
?
ca. 1991
Salient, Aberdares N.P.
15
Tawny
Pelage colour
?
Golden/orange
Reddish-brown
Tawny
Grey
Reddish-brown
?
Brownish-red
Black
Rich russet Apparently russet
Montane forest and grassy Reddish-brown glades ? ?
Forest
ca. 2400 2133
Salient, Aberdares N.P.
15
Vegetation type*
Altitude (m)
14 July 1979
Kimakia R., Aberdares F.R. 4 Jan. 1981
Date
14
Site Site number
R. Hook cited in Boy (2003)
H. Douglas-Dufresne, pers. obs. J. Macleod, pers. comm.
K. Brown, pers. comm.
M. Seth-Smith, pers. comm. in Seth-Smith (1995) Seth-Smith (1995) S. Belcher, pers. comm. in Anon. (1996) Church (2003), C. Church pers. comm. J. Cullen, pers. comm. in Anon. (1996) R. E. Dent cited in Heuvelmans (1958) Watson (1980); R. Watson, pers. comm. in Anon. (1996) Parker (2004)
J. & C. Rowing cited in Boy (2003) Hardy (1979)
Source
10 T.M. Butynski, H. Douglas-Dufresne & Y.A. de Jong
Mt Kenya Pre-1990 Confluence of Liki R. and 27 Mar. 2003 Liki North R., Mt. Kenya Southern Lolldaiga Hills ca. 1990
Tassia, Laikipia
Near Lekurruki/Ilngwesi boundary, Laikipia Ngare Ndare Forest, SW Lewa, Laikipia Close to headwaters of Kathita R., above Meru, Mt. Kenya Kadja, near Mutha, Ukambani area, Kitui
28
29
32
31
30
28
Soit Narok, Makandora, Nanyuki R., Dol Dol Road Tassia, Laikipia
27
26
1974
1931
May 2009
Oct. 2010
May 2009
Apr. 2009
29 Aug. 2007
? Golden-brown
?
Tawny
Pelage colour
?
Thick bush near river
ca. 650
Acacia woodland on edge of sand lugga Edge of acacia woodland
Thick, mixed-scrub near lugga Thick, mixed-scrub near lugga
Tawny
?
Grey
One was sandyyellow and one was greyishbrown Reddish-tan
Pale sandy-yellow
Acacia-euclea Tawny bushland/woodland near river On a rock near riverine Reddish-gold scrub
? ?
?
On road through dense montane forest
Vegetation type*
3100
1830
1250
1130
1130
1725
1910
? ca. 2100
?
24 25
Pre-1937
ca. 2700
ca. 1984
On road between Meteorological Station and Naro Moru Gate, Mt. Kenya Mt. Kenya
23
24
Altitude (m)
Date
Site Site number
K. Brown, pers. comm.
R. E. Dent cited in Heuvelmans (1958)
C. W heeler, pers. comm.
C. W heeler, pers. comm.
M. W heeler, A. Hall, C. Murray & J. Bastard, pers. comm.
M. W heeler, pers. comm.
M. Kattenhøj, pers. comm.
A. Abdi cited in Gandar Dower (1937) T. Archer, pers. comm. R. & N. Fernandes cited in Boy (2003) R. W ells, pers. comm.
M. Otieno pers. comm. to T. Young
Source
African golden cat in Kenya 11
1992 & 1993
28 Aug. 1983
15 Mar. 1983
14 Mar. 1983
Aug. 1997
?
Riverine scrub Thick commiphora woodland with heavy under-brush Thick commiphora woodland with heavy under-brush On road through dense bush Cynometra forest
ca. 900
ca. 500 ca. 500
ca. 80
ca. 150
ca. 500
Vegetation type*
Altitude (m) Leuschner (2003)
Source
Two seen. Both probably sandybrown Rich fawn-brown
J. Fanshawe, M. Kelsey, J. Bowler & G. Allport, pers. comm. Virani (1993); M. Virani, pers. comm.
A. Rasa, pers. comm. to J. Fawn-brown with Fanshawe greyish shimmer
P. Kahumbu cited in Boy (2003) Tawny-brown grey A. Rasa, pers. comm. to J. Fanshawe
?
?
Pelage colour
*acacia = Acacia spp.; bamboo = Arundinaria alpina K.Schum.; commiphora = Commiphora spp.; cynometra = Cynometra webberi Baker f.; euclea = Euclea divinorum Hiern; juniper = Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl.; olive = Olea europaea L.; podo = Podocarpus falcatus (Thunb.) Endl., P. latifolius (Thunb.) R.Br. ex Mirb.; yellow fever = Acacia xanthophloea Benth.
38
37
36
35
34
1999
33
Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp, just south of Tsavo West N.P. Lugard’s Falls, Galana R., Tsavo East N.P. 6 km from Maungu Hills, Taru (4 km south of Maungu Village) 18 km from Maungu Hills, Taru (16 km south of Maungu Village) 70 km from Malindi on road to Sala Gate, Tsavo East N.P. Jilore Forest Station, Arabuko-Sokoke F.R.
Date
Site Site number
12 T.M. Butynski, H. Douglas-Dufresne & Y.A. de Jong
African golden cat in Kenya
13
Figure 4. The 38 sites in Kenya where the African golden cat Caracal aurata has been reported. See table 1 for the details related to each site number.
The majority of records for C. aurata in Kenya are for the four largest highland forests; Mount Elgon and Mau Forest in south-western Kenya, and Aberdares Range and Mount Kenya in central Kenya. Seven sites for Kenya are of particular interest; Olorgesailie, Shompole Swamp, Pelewa Hills, Tsavo West National Park, Tsavo East National Park, Maunga Hills, and Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. If valid, these records greatly extend the range of C. aurata; Shompole Swamp is ca. 190 km south-east of the centre of the Mau Forest, and Arabuko-Sokoke is ca. 200 km south-east of Mutha. Furthermore, all of these sites put C. aurata into drier habitats than previously reported for anywhere over the species’ range (1200-2400 mm mean annual rainfall); mean annual rainfall for Arabuko-Sokoko is ca. 1000 mm and mean annual rainfall for the Olorgesailie-Shompole area is ca. 500 mm. At Tsavo East National Park and in the Olorgesailie-Shompole region, the sightings were in dry ‘riverine scrub’, and at Maunga Hills the sightings were in ‘thick commiphora woodland’, two habitats not previously reported to be used by C. aurata. In West Africa and in west Central Africa, C. aurata occurs in forest at sea level (Ray & Butynski, in press). Thus, it should not be too surprising to find this species in the coastal forests of East Africa, although the coastal forests of East Africa are considerably drier than those of western Africa. In any case, there is no confirmed record (e.g. specimen, photograph, video) for the occurrence of C. aurata where the mean annual rainfall is
