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An African wild cat spotted roaming the fields of Cádiz has been safely captured and rehomed at a specialist animal rescue centre in Alicante.

 

The young male caracal, named Sorgo, was on the loose for more than two weeks before finally being rescued by the local animal brigade in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. He had first been seen on Monday July 14, when early morning workers spotted him on a rural road. Images confirmed he was a caracal, a medium-sized feline with distinctive long ear tufts and a sandy coat.

 

What followed was a careful two-week search led by Seprona, the nature protection branch of the Guardia Civil, with help from locals and the town hall. Using cage traps and surveillance cameras, the team eventually managed to catch Sorgo safely on Tuesday July 29.

 

The cat was found to be just a few months old, and while it’s still unclear where he came from, it’s presumed he was either kept illegally as a pet or abandoned. Private ownership of wild animals like caracals is banned in Spain under the latest animal welfare laws.

 

Sorgo was transferred on Thursday July 31 to the AAP Primadomus (Animal Advocacy and Protection) rescue centre in Villena, Alicante, which specialises in the rehabilitation of exotic animals. He’ll now spend time in quarantine while vets carry out full health checks. Staff at the centre say his care will be tailored to his species’ natural needs to help him recover and live as closely as possible to his wild nature.

 

A spokesperson for AAP said: “Caracals and other medium-sized wild cats have become fashionable as pets due to their exotic look and presence on social media, but these animals are completely unsuitable for domestic life.”

 

This isn’t the first case of its kind. In recent months, another caracal and a serval, both African wild cats, were also taken in by the same rescue centre. Caracals are now among the top five most commonly rescued exotic mammals across Europe.

 

Animal welfare experts are urging the Spanish authorities to speed up the roll-out of “positive lists,” regulations that define which animals can legally be kept as pets, to help prevent similar cases in future.

 

 

 

Image: Magda Ehlers/Pexels