Of the nearly 40 species of wild cats the African Golden Cat (Caracal aurata) is one of the least known. But according to the Marshall University website that is changing:
“College of Science graduate student Mary Zarilla has documented the first recorded occurrence of the African golden cat (Caracal aurata) in the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve—marking the first sighting of the species in northwestern Uganda
Zarilla captured a daytime image of the endangered cat using a camera trap she deployed in the park in July 2025. The African golden cat is often described as the least known wild cat in Africa, with few studies conducted on the elusive species. Zarilla is co-advised by Dr. Anne Axel and Dr. Kimberly Dingess.”
Meanwhile, as CNN reports:
“Mwezi Mugerwa, who is passionate about the species, has embarked on work to survey the breed.
Thanks to a partnership with the African Golden Cat Conservation Alliance, which brings together 46 conservationists across 19 countries, Mwezi Mugerwa was able to launch his survey.”
Mugerwa used artificial intelligence.
“This is really important, because we are now able to talk about numbers and density,” the researcher told CNN as reported on the website Wamiz.
He explains that thanks to AI, it is now possible for “the cats to be differentiated individually, which would be almost impossible due to their small size and their distinctive features”
Along similar lines a researcher in Sumatra is helping research endangered tigers there by collecting DNA from paw prints to differentiate individuals.
The golden cat is closely related to the Caracal (Caracal caracal) and the serval (Leptailurus serval). Golden cat numbers are essentially unknown. Their range may be expanding but numbers may be declining.
The cats are medium sized, up to about 30 pounds. They are good climbers usually found in rainforest or other dense forest. They live up to about 10,000 feet in elevation. Little is known about their behavior. They are elusive and it appears kittens mature quickly. They eat animals as large as small antelope but most often consume smaller prey. Their main threats are habitat destruction and hunting. Hunting is officially prohibited in much of their range.