In a world where big cats often steal the spotlight, our attention turns to a smaller, yet remarkably lethal predator: the Black-Footed Cat. WeWild Africa is helping safeguard the species, and is committed to conservation for all of Africa’s incredible biodiversity.

WeWild Africa, in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) is helping fund the breeding, rewilding, and monitoring programs of this little hunter at the Loskop Dam Nature Reserve.

Native to the arid steppes and grassland savannas of Southern Africa, the black-footed cat is a unique species. Despite its small size, with a head-and-body length of 35–52 cm (14–20 in), it is an efficient nocturnal predator. It travels between 5 and 16 km (3.1 and 9.9 mi) nightly, hunting small rodents and birds, and can kill up to 14 small animals per night. The cat’s tawny fur, adorned with bold spots and stripes, provides excellent camouflage in its natural habitat, particularly under moonlight. The species was first described in 1824 and has since been recognized as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List due to threats like habitat loss, poaching, and predation by herding dogs.