Have you seen all ten African wild cats? There are three big cats, three medium sized cats and four smaller sized cats.
On most wildlife safaris in the big five game reserves of Africa you are mostly likely to encounter the big cats – Lions, Leopards and Cheetahs.
If you are lucky you may also spot the fairly common smaller (or ‘medium’) cats – Caracals and Servals. The African Golden Cat only occurs in the forests of Central Africa and is very tricky to see, even by researchers and local residents.
For the smallest cats, the open, arid regions are best to encounter African Wildcats, however for the more secretive and rarer Black-footed Cats and Sand Cats you will likely need to join a specialized tour or a research project. The fourth small wild cat is the Jungle Cat and the edge of their Asian range is the wetland areas of the Nile in northern Egypt.
