After the campfire had died down for the night, one of our trailcams positioned near the vehicle entrance picked up something rather unexpected. Two separate encounters with an African wildcat around 45 minutes apart.

Alan has seen African Wildcats before in Botswana. Unfortunately, usually in low light and difficult viewing conditions, but we had never personally confirmed one in Kenya’s Maasai Mara.

Difficult ID

Identifying small cats from PIR trailcam footage is not always straightforward. More so when we know there are one or two domestic cats in the area. Light, distance, camera angle and the overlap between wild and domestic cats can make field identification surprisingly messy. The first clip, with the cat moving right to left, left us about 80% convinced. But in wildlife ID, 80% is not enough.

Thankfully, around forty five minutes later, the trailcam triggered again. This time a black domestic cat appeared in the same area, followed shortly afterwards by the African Wildcat approaching from the opposite direction. Seeing the two back to back made the differences far clearer. The wildcat looked longer legged, leaner, more purposeful in its movement, and noticeably different in build. That second encounter helped confirm the first.

It also became a great talking point around camp afterwards. Several guests had never seen an African Wildcat before, and even for our Maasai friends it is not a regular sighting around Mattikoko. Moments like this are a reminder that even after the campfire burns low, the Mara still has a habit of surprising you.