Source: https://www.republikein.com.na/
Smallest cat in the world found in Namibia
Nust researchers made a rare finding
The last time this small cat appeared in the scientific literature of Namibia, occurred in 1934.
Since last Friday, a team of three researchers has no less than four of these cats came down.
Dr. Morgan Hauptfleisch, a lecturer at Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust), they say shortly before midnight at 25 January got the first black-legged cat.
It was a six-year-old male, who was at Gondwana got its Fish River Canyon park.
The other three black paws are on a farm near Grünau, about 60 km further, found.
These animals were two adult females and one young but mature male.
“It is the smallest cat in the world. It's a terribly scarce animal, ”says Hauptfleisch yesterday afternoon in his office.
They realized before they found a cat that they should be close due to the presence of the blackbird's favorite dish, the Large-eared African dessert mouse
Adult black-legged cats weigh between 1.2 kg and 1.8 kg and there are between two and three kittens in a litter, he says.
Not only is this cat very shy, but the number of existing ones is also very small, he says.
"His international classification is defenseless."
Naas Hauptfleisch was the world expert in the field of rare small cats, dr. Alex Sliwa, of Germany also part of that mission.
The other member was me. Martina Küsters, who obtained a master's degree in where the black-legged cat might be in Namibia prevent.
Several farmers have over the years since the 1930s told them they saw the cat, but no one recorded it.
In fact, the photos taken by Hauptfleisch and his team this past week appear to be the first for Namibia.
He says the exact number of black-legged cats is unclear. "Part of the mission was to get a sense of how much there is."
Being able to find just four with good equipment is an indication of how few of these cats are.
As far as is known, the cats only occur in Namibia and in parts of South Africa's Northern Cape province.
They were very excited about the young male, who first found them, says Hauptfleisch.
That's because his age meant a couple - his parents - couldn't be too far. However, they did not find his parents.
Hauptfleisch and his team intend to apply for permits so that they can do finer research on these rare animals.
Among other things, they plan to study the animals' behavioral patterns.
They also plan to undertake genetic studies on cats.
According to him, the survival of the species will depend very much on "what we do here in Namibia".
Over the eight nights they traveled between 80 and 100 km per night.
"I must now learn to sleep at night after watching cats every night between 21:00 and 03:00," he says.
The original version in Afrikaans below:
Kleinste kat ter wêreld in Namibië gevind
Nust-navorsers maak rare vonds
Die laaste keer toe dié kiets in wetenskaplike letterkunde in Namibië voorgekom het, was in 1934.
Sedert verlede Vrydag het ’n span van drie navorsers op niks minder nie as vier van dié katte afgekom.
Dr. Morgan Hauptfleisch, ’n dosent aan die Namibië Universiteit van Wetenskap en Tegnologie (Nust), sê hulle het kort voor middernag op 25 Januarie die eerste swartpootkat gekry.
Dit was ’n mannetjie van ongeveer ses maande oud, wat hulle by Gondwana se Visriviercanyon-park gekry het.
Die ander drie swartpote is op ’n plaas naby Grünau, sowat 60 km verder, gevind.
Dié diere was twee volwasse wyfies en een jong, maar volwasse mannetjie.
“Dit is die kleinste kat ter wêreld. Dis ’n verskriklike skaars dier,” vertel Hauptfleisch gistermiddag in sy kantoor.
Hulle het telkens voor hulle ’n kat gevind het, besef hulle moet naby wees weens die teenwoordigheid van die swartpootkat se gunstelingdis, die bakoormuis.
Volwasse swartpootkatte weeg tussen 1,2 kg en 1,8 kg en daar is tussen twee en drie katjies in ’n werpsel, vertel hy.
Nie net is dié kat baie sku nie, maar die getal bestaandes is ook baie klein, sê hy.
“Sy internasionale klassifikasie is weerloos.”
Naas Hauptfleisch was die wêreldkenner op die gebied van skaars klein katte, dr. Alex Sliwa, van Duitsland ook deel van dié sending.
Die ander lid was me. Martina Küsters, wat ’n meestersgraad verwerf het in waar die swartpootwildekat moontlik in Namibië voorkom.
Verskeie boere het oor die jare sedert die 1930’s vertel hulle het die kat gesien, maar niemand het dit geboekstaaf nie.
Trouens, dit blyk die foto’s, wat Hauptfleisch en sy span die afgelope week geneem het, is die algehele eerstes vir Namibië.
Hy sê die presiese aantal swartpootwildekatte is onduidelik. “Deel van die sending was om ’n gevoel te kry van hoeveel daar is.”
Dat hulle met goeie toerusting net vier kon opspoor, is ’n aanduiding van hoe min van dié katte daar is.
Sover bekend kom die katte net in Namibië en in dele van Suid-Afrika se Noord-Kaap-provinsie voor.
Hulle was baie opgewonde oor die jong mannetjie, wat hulle eerste gevind het, vertel Hauptfleisch.
Dít is omdat sy ouderdom beteken het ’n paartjie – sy ouers – kon nie te ver wees nie. Hulle het egter nie sy ouers opgespoor nie.
Hauptfleisch en sy span beoog om aansoek te doen om permitte sodat hulle fyner navorsing op dié rare diere kan doen.
Onder meer beplan hulle om die diere se gedragspatrone te bestudeer.
Hulle beplan voorts ook om genetiese studies op die katte te onderneem.
Volgens hom gaan die voortleef van die spesies baie afhang van “wat ons hier in Namibië doen”.
Oor die agt nagte het hulle tussen 80 en 100 km per aand afgelê.
“Ek moet nou herleer om saans te slaap nadat ons elke aand tussen 21:00 en 03:00 katte dopgehou het,” sê hy.
Smallest cat in the world found in Namibia
Nust researchers made a rare finding
The last time this small cat appeared in the scientific literature of Namibia, occurred in 1934.
Since last Friday, a team of three researchers has no less than four of these cats came down.
Dr. Morgan Hauptfleisch, a lecturer at Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust), they say shortly before midnight at 25 January got the first black-legged cat.
It was a six-year-old male, who was at Gondwana got its Fish River Canyon park.
The other three black paws are on a farm near Grünau, about 60 km further, found.
These animals were two adult females and one young but mature male.
“It is the smallest cat in the world. It's a terribly scarce animal, ”says Hauptfleisch yesterday afternoon in his office.
They realized before they found a cat that they should be close due to the presence of the blackbird's favorite dish, the Large-eared African dessert mouse
Adult black-legged cats weigh between 1.2 kg and 1.8 kg and there are between two and three kittens in a litter, he says.
Not only is this cat very shy, but the number of existing ones is also very small, he says.
"His international classification is defenseless."
Naas Hauptfleisch was the world expert in the field of rare small cats, dr. Alex Sliwa, of Germany also part of that mission.
The other member was me. Martina Küsters, who obtained a master's degree in where the black-legged cat might be in Namibia prevent.
Several farmers have over the years since the 1930s told them they saw the cat, but no one recorded it.
In fact, the photos taken by Hauptfleisch and his team this past week appear to be the first for Namibia.
He says the exact number of black-legged cats is unclear. "Part of the mission was to get a sense of how much there is."
Being able to find just four with good equipment is an indication of how few of these cats are.
As far as is known, the cats only occur in Namibia and in parts of South Africa's Northern Cape province.
They were very excited about the young male, who first found them, says Hauptfleisch.
That's because his age meant a couple - his parents - couldn't be too far. However, they did not find his parents.
Hauptfleisch and his team intend to apply for permits so that they can do finer research on these rare animals.
Among other things, they plan to study the animals' behavioral patterns.
They also plan to undertake genetic studies on cats.
According to him, the survival of the species will depend very much on "what we do here in Namibia".
Over the eight nights they traveled between 80 and 100 km per night.
"I must now learn to sleep at night after watching cats every night between 21:00 and 03:00," he says.
The original version in Afrikaans below:
Kleinste kat ter wêreld in Namibië gevind
Nust-navorsers maak rare vonds
Die laaste keer toe dié kiets in wetenskaplike letterkunde in Namibië voorgekom het, was in 1934.
Sedert verlede Vrydag het ’n span van drie navorsers op niks minder nie as vier van dié katte afgekom.
Dr. Morgan Hauptfleisch, ’n dosent aan die Namibië Universiteit van Wetenskap en Tegnologie (Nust), sê hulle het kort voor middernag op 25 Januarie die eerste swartpootkat gekry.
Dit was ’n mannetjie van ongeveer ses maande oud, wat hulle by Gondwana se Visriviercanyon-park gekry het.
Die ander drie swartpote is op ’n plaas naby Grünau, sowat 60 km verder, gevind.
Dié diere was twee volwasse wyfies en een jong, maar volwasse mannetjie.
“Dit is die kleinste kat ter wêreld. Dis ’n verskriklike skaars dier,” vertel Hauptfleisch gistermiddag in sy kantoor.
Hulle het telkens voor hulle ’n kat gevind het, besef hulle moet naby wees weens die teenwoordigheid van die swartpootkat se gunstelingdis, die bakoormuis.
Volwasse swartpootkatte weeg tussen 1,2 kg en 1,8 kg en daar is tussen twee en drie katjies in ’n werpsel, vertel hy.
Nie net is dié kat baie sku nie, maar die getal bestaandes is ook baie klein, sê hy.
“Sy internasionale klassifikasie is weerloos.”
Naas Hauptfleisch was die wêreldkenner op die gebied van skaars klein katte, dr. Alex Sliwa, van Duitsland ook deel van dié sending.
Die ander lid was me. Martina Küsters, wat ’n meestersgraad verwerf het in waar die swartpootwildekat moontlik in Namibië voorkom.
Verskeie boere het oor die jare sedert die 1930’s vertel hulle het die kat gesien, maar niemand het dit geboekstaaf nie.
Trouens, dit blyk die foto’s, wat Hauptfleisch en sy span die afgelope week geneem het, is die algehele eerstes vir Namibië.
Hy sê die presiese aantal swartpootwildekatte is onduidelik. “Deel van die sending was om ’n gevoel te kry van hoeveel daar is.”
Dat hulle met goeie toerusting net vier kon opspoor, is ’n aanduiding van hoe min van dié katte daar is.
Sover bekend kom die katte net in Namibië en in dele van Suid-Afrika se Noord-Kaap-provinsie voor.
Hulle was baie opgewonde oor die jong mannetjie, wat hulle eerste gevind het, vertel Hauptfleisch.
Dít is omdat sy ouderdom beteken het ’n paartjie – sy ouers – kon nie te ver wees nie. Hulle het egter nie sy ouers opgespoor nie.
Hauptfleisch en sy span beoog om aansoek te doen om permitte sodat hulle fyner navorsing op dié rare diere kan doen.
Onder meer beplan hulle om die diere se gedragspatrone te bestudeer.
Hulle beplan voorts ook om genetiese studies op die katte te onderneem.
Volgens hom gaan die voortleef van die spesies baie afhang van “wat ons hier in Namibië doen”.
Oor die agt nagte het hulle tussen 80 en 100 km per aand afgelê.
“Ek moet nou herleer om saans te slaap nadat ons elke aand tussen 21:00 en 03:00 katte dopgehou het,” sê hy.
