RARE CARACAL WILDCAT KITTENS BRED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUSTRALIA

They might look like ordinary kittens but they are actually fierce hunters who were once worshipped by ancient Egyptians and entrusted to guard the tombs of pharaohs.

And now, for the first time, they have been bred in Australia as part of a program at the Wild Cat Conservation Centre in Wilberforce, north of Windsor.

Centre director Ben Britton said that, in the four years his park has been open, the main objective has always been to conserve the species of wild cats that are overlooked from funding.

“Internationally there are 40 species of wildcats, out of that 40 you’ve got seven which are considered big cats, then you’ve got 33 which are considered small cats,” he said.

“If you look from a conservation point of view, 99 per cent of funding goes to the big seven, leaving one per cent for the others.

“We developed the centre so we have somewhere in Australia that focuses on the conservation of those smaller cat species.”

Mr Britton said that for the parents Kaia and Kato, originally from South Africa, to have kittens is a “big milestone” for his centre.

“To be the first to breed them in Australia is great, it’s a big milestone for us; these kittens will be able to help us establish a conversation program for the species here,” he said.

“As a region, Australia has not put much of a focus on small wild cat species until now.”

Caracals are extremely secretive animals and hard to observe but Kaia is said to be a “great new mum”.

“The kittens are just three weeks of age but she’s doing a great job being a new mum,” Mr Britton said.

“We’ve got a close relationship with Kaia, she trusts us to do health checks on the kittens and that type of thing.”

The Wild Conservation Centre relies on donations for its funding, even more so these days as it is unable to run its usual visitor program.