I have successfully hand raised many animals, bat eared fox, springbok, steenbuck and even a dassie but  when i was approached about taking in a 4 day old caracal, i had no idea just how rewarding it would be. On the 9^th of September 2008 i drove to Grahamstown to fetch a tiny baby caracal that was in dire straits. Hes eyes were still closed but man was he feisty.

I had no idea that for the next couple of months I would literally be the mother of one of the most amazing animals. I fed Zippo every 4 hours for the next 2 months, it became such a routine that i didn’t have to set my alarm, he would wake me up demanding his kitty milk formula.  The first time he tasted meat was when I gave him a small bird which he devoured feathers and all however, it didn’t take him long to learn how to pluck the feathers. We enclosed half the garden where Zippo spent a lot of time playing. He caught his own birds and we fed him raw meat.

He really became a big part of our lives but we always knew that some day he would have to leave us for rehabilitation. When Zippo was 5months old I contacted Tenikwa rehabilitation centre and they where willing to accommodate him. Taking Zippo to Tenikwa was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. But in the long run I knew that it was the best for his future. I visited him at Tenikwa a month later and was happy to see how he had befriended a female caracal Shushu, unfortunately that was the last time I saw him.

I stayed in contact with Tenikwa and was updated regularly about his progress. At the end of  2009 i received great news that Zippo was going to be taken to Mount Camdeboo with his `girlfriend’ Shushu, for rehabilitation. Im so privileged to be able to see him one more time, before he is rehabilitated into his natural habitat. Thanks to Mount Camdeboo for giving Zippo the opportunity of having a normal life as a wild caracal.