Hermes, an adult male caracal well-known and loved in Cape Town, was hit by a passing car and died last night.
Hermes was identifiable by his light blue and green ear tags and became something of a mascot for the Urban Caracal Project, with many of his exploits and adventures bringing delight to Capetonians over the years.
Support the Urban Caracal Project here.
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Here’s more about Hermes and his unique background story from Cape Town’s Urban Caracal Project:
‘Hermes is an adult male caracal who we tagged back in 2018. He’s incredibly resilient and charismatic, and he’s been sighted many times over the years on Table Mountain’s beautiful trails. Unlike other spotted wild cats, caracals don’t have uniquely distinguishable markings, but Hermes can be recognised by his ear tags: light blue on the left and light green on the right.’
The Urban Caracal Project first encountered him in 2018, when he was hit by a car on Camp’s Bay Drive, near where at least two other caracals had been hit and killed. But Hermes survived, despite nearly biting off his tongue, which was quickly sewn back on at Tamboerskloof Veterinary Practise.
‘While receiving X-rays at the vet, it was discovered that this was not the first car accident Hermes had been in. He had been hit by a car before, which severely broke his hind leg. Although he has since healed, this incident caused his right hind leg to be shorter than his left.’
Capetonians have taken great pleasure in various documented sightings of the caracal’s exploits and adventures. Listed below are a few of Cape {town} Etc’s reports on the sightings:
November 2022: Hermes the caracal casually strolls along the trail
Hermes, one of Cape Town’s favourite caracals, has made a comeback. In a short clip shared on Facebook by The Urban Caracal Project, Hermes was recently spotted strolling along a trail in the Mother City. The footage was captured by Tristan Karakashian.
Hermes is known for his calm and relaxed nature and is often spotted strolling through the mountains, unafraid to venture into areas that humans frequent.
Look! Cape Town’s favourite caracal spotted strolling with a friend
It’s been a while since we’ve spotted Cape Town’s favourite regal cat, Hermes the Caracal. Thanks to an observant Pierre Blignaut and the Urban Caracal Project for sharing his special sighting, we can once again feast our eyes on the beauty of this majestic animal.
And this time, he’s brought along a friend to share the spotlight.
‘…they were a real treat and not eager to run away. Almost like they had something or some reason to loiter around the area just off the road,’ says Blignaut.
August 2020: Hermes the caracal stops to enjoy the sunset
Cape Town’s favourite caracal is at it again. Hermes has been spotted once more, this time enjoying the sunset view from a comfortable perch near the Pipe Track.
A lucky local managed to snap a few stellar pictures of dashing Hermes as he took in the sunset on the mountainside.
According to the Urban Caracal Project, these recent photographs are some of the most spectacular they have received of Hermes.
August 2020: Hermes the caracal spotted on the hunt
While watching a Cape grey mongoose make its way along the path in Echo Valley on Table Mountain, hikers got more of a show than they were expecting.
It turns out the hikers were not the only ones watching the mongoose, as Hermes jumped from his stalking spot in the bush and caught the unsuspecting animal right in front of them.
According to the Urban Caracal Project, this is an exceptional and rare sighting.
See the pictures of the amazing sighting below:
August 2020: Hermes the caracal shows off stunt skills
The popular Cape Town caracal Hermes has been spotted yet again. The well-known feline resident was captured showing off his skills on Table Mountain this past weekend.
Lucky local Kris Marx caught this incredible picture of Hermes walking across a narrow pipe over a ravine on Table Mountain.
According to the Urban Caracal Project, which shared the image on its Facebook page, caracals are natural stunt kitties due to their strong sense of balance.
‘Caracals, like all cats, rely on their agility and sense of balance to land on their feet when leaping to catch prey like birds in mid-air. They are also good climbers, regularly scaling rocky outcrops to hunt dassies. This makes it easier for Hermes to walk along this narrow pipe, but it is no less impressive!’ they explain.
Rest easy, dear Hermes. Cape Town will miss you!
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