The Namibian Environment & Wildlife Society is asking the public to record sightings of the black-footed cat

The Namibian Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS Namibia) is asking the public to record sightings of Africa's smallest wild cat species, the black-footed cat, to learn more about the exact distribution of the feline and about its conservation status. The black-footed cat is endemic to southern Africa, and is mostly found in the arid grasslands of Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and sometimes even in Southern Angola. It is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2002.

The coat of the black-footed cat is tan to reddish brown, strikingly covered with dark spots, and the legs have wide dark stripes. As the name suggests, the bottom of the feet are entirely black. Male black-footed cats ca reach a head-to-body length of up 44 cm with a up to 20cm long tail. Females are smaller with a maximum head-to-body-length of about 37cm and a max. 17cm long tail. The shoulder height is about 25cm.