Usually, the closest thing to wildlife seen in Camps Bay is a seagull or tipsy squad tumbling out of Victoria Road’s iconic bars. So, a sighting of a Genet is really quite something to behold — and on the fourth floor of a building, no less!
Last night at around 9.30pm, locals Steve, and his wife Debby Leslie, were enjoying a nightcap on their fourth floor terrace and speaking to a friend online in Canada. This lucky Canadian didn’t have to hop across countries to get a taste of South Africa’s gorgeous wildlife because on their chat, a special ‘cat’ pounced onto the scene.
The Leslies’ dog Frankie did the only reasonable dog thing to do: started chasing the ‘cat’, which then ran into the bedroom. “We saw the cat climb our bedroom curtain and when the commotion died down, it was sitting on our window [sill inside our bedroom]. Our bedroom opens up onto our terrace, so everything was in full view,” Steve told Cape {town} Etc.
As it turns out, this wasn’t your average neighbourhood stray. Rather, it was a Genet!
Genets are long, lean carnivores that appear catlike with a tail usually as long as (if not longer than) the body. There are approximately 14 species identified, all of which vary in appearance and habitat.
Although classified as a carnivore, they are omnivorous and will eat what is most readily available. This can include small mammals — especially rodents, shrews, and bats — birds and their eggs, frogs, millipedes, centipedes, scorpions, and various fruits.
They are considered arboreal, and climb trees to hunt birds, however, they also spend much time on the ground, hunting prey and taking shelter in escarpments and rocky outcrops. They can squeeze their flexible bodies through any opening larger than their heads.
They are also nocturnal and stealthy hunters. Much like cats, they kill with a quick bite to the neck. All species have retractable claws adapted to climbing and catching prey. With a mean bite and gnarly claws, be sure to keep your distance from these predators. Don’t encourage human interaction by feeding or coaxing them. Genets are wild animals.
“After snapping a few photos we realised this was no cat, but what looked like a lemur. We sent the photos to our friend in Canada and after a short while she identified the cat as a Genet. What is even more bizarre is that we live above Clifton 1st Beach on the 4th floor in the San Michele block. There is a narrow green space that extends from Victoria Road between San Michele and the adjacent building down to the beach. The majority of wildlife we see are birds. Possibly, this is how the Genet found it’s way onto our flat,” Steve adds.
When the Genet first arrived, it hissed and growled at Debby, but after they had removed Frankie from the situation, the Genet seemed to relax.
“For approximately two hours thereafter, we sat outside and the Genet sat on our window sill, completely at home. After a while, the Genet decided to take advantage of the calm, and slipped out of our bedroom unannounced and in a very quiet way.
“Unfortunately, we missed it leaving, but no doubt it is safe and sound tucked away somewhere in our green space. I have to say this was a very magical, but bizarre encounter with an elusive and nocturnal animal,” Steve concludes.
Due to human population growth and expanding communities, some species have adapted to cultivated areas and human settlements, where they have developed a taste for poultry, causing people to kill them in retaliation.
For more information on Genet cats, visit www.awf.org
