Cheetah Kids

Project Synopsis:

This multimedia Internet-based project with Cheetah Kids is a unique opportunity for school-aged children to be a part of wildlife field research as it happens in Namibia, Africa. Students worldwide can explore Namibia with wildlife biologist Aletris Neils as she conducts her groundbreaking study of the caracal and the other animals it lives with.

Project Goals:

• Educate about caracals and its ecosystem through fascinating learning activities that school-aged children can conduct on their own, with their family or in classrooms.

• Facilitate discovery and appreciation for carnivore and the natural world.

• Reveal how exciting and engaging science can be.

• Be an example of how scientists can effectively convey their research to young people.

• Demonstrate why working with people within the ecosystem is a vital component to conservation.

Activities:

• Follow radio collared caracals as they move through the Namibian bush.

• Analyze caracal home ranges and movements from data collected from radio collars via maps.

• Identify pictures and videos of Namibian wildlife taken with camera traps.

• Learn and identify various attributes of caracal’s ecosystem.

• View video segments to understand more about wildlife field research.

• Question and answer forum where kids can ask questions of a wildlife biologist in the field.

What is a caracal?

Caracals, also called the “African or desert lynx," are medium-sized cats.  Caracals range throughout most of African into Asia, and historically caracals were found everywhere cheetahs were.  Caracals have elegant long tufted-eared with reddish brown fur and white underbelly, chin and throat.  They are approximately three feet long, with a tail about a foot long. They have light colored eyes with a black line running from each eye to the nose.  Caracals (like all cats) are strict carnivores, hunting rodents, rabbits, birds, and antelope.  Almost no research has been conducted on caracals- making this study so necessary and exciting!