Caracal (Wild Life Africa by Schleich)

The caracal (Caracal caracal) is a small cat that lives over much of Africa (outside of rainforests and much of the Sahara Desert), the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, and Central Asia to western India. It prefers scrub forest, thickets, savannas, marshy lowlands, rocky hills, and semi-deserts, generally in areas that are dry but offer sufficient vegetation for cover. The caracal is a sleek, agile hunter; favorite prey include small antelope (grysbok, duikers, Dorcas gazelles, gerenuks), hyraxes, hares, rodents, small monkeys, bustards, doves, and partridges. Caracals are typically solitary and nocturnal; they can be quite secretive and difficult to observe. The caracal’s closest living relative is the African golden cat (Caracal aurata) and together with the serval (Leptailurus serval) form a genetic lineage that diverged from a common ancestor of the ‘small’ felids 7.9-4.1 million years ago. The caracal is currently listed by the IUCN as ‘Least Concern’; major threats to the cat are habitat destruction due for agriculture, roads, and settlements, culling by farmers to protect livestock, and capture for the pet trade.

The caracal is a familiar enough animal that it is surprising there have not been more examples as toys, figures, or models! There is a vintage figure by Starlux and Play Visions produced one in their Wild Cats collection in 1996. There is a stylized figure made by Chap Mei and three Yowies, one each in the Australian and UK collections by Cadbury, and a relatively recent one by US-based Yowie Group. There has yet to be a caracal produced by one of the ‘Big Six’ western companies (Safari Ltd., Schleich, Papo, Bullyland, CollectA, or Mojö Fun). Well, that is until 2023 (well, technically late 2022)! Yes, after many years, Schleich has become the first of the big companies to produce a caracal. And not just one! Schleich also produced a kitten alongside this adult female (although I didn’t get the kitten, so it won’t be shown here today).

The promotional pics first came out, there was excitement for sure, but there was also some concern, since the pics show what appeared to be Schleich’s recent trend of anthropomorphized facial expressions. Many of us commented on the ‘smirk’ of the caracal. In retrospect, I think what bothered me was part smirk and part the way the eyes appeared. While the final produce does still have a hint of a smile, it’s not exaggerated and the overall look is more subdued. While not perfect, it looks better in-hand than it did in the promo pics, at least to me. Other collectors have posted their pics on the STS forum and there seems to be varying degrees of ‘smirking’; mine is somewhere in the middle.

The figure has a total length of 9.0 cm. The head-to-body length is roughly 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:9-1:14. Using shoulder height as a metric (n=4.3 cm), the scale comes to 1:9-1:12, which means Schleich did a good job of getting the length-to-height ratio fairly accurate for this species, especially since this cat is known for its long body and long legs.

The sculpt is well done. The thin body, long legs, characteristic ear tufts, and medium-length tail are all present. As indicated by the aforementioned scale calculations, the proportions are pretty good. The fur is delicately sculpted, but present.

The color is a reddish-sandy tan. It seems lighter in-hand than the promo pics, but still looks accurate for the species. Some on the forums described the paint as similar to that applied to Yowies, but I think it’s a little better than that. The eyes are green with black pupils. Characteristic facial markings, notably the short black lines running down the forehead to the eyes and the black outline of the mouth, are present. The foot pads are painted black.

As someone who generally doesn’t gravitate towards Schleich’s recent figures, I have to say I am pleased with this figure and think Schleich did an admirable job with it (although part of my enthusiasm might just be the excitement of finally getting this species as a standard-sized figure by a major company). Is it perfect? No. Am I happy with it? Absolutely. Would I be quick to replace it if another ‘major’ company produced one? Unlikely (it would have to be substantially better). So, if you don’t want to wait around for another company to make a caracal, I suggest getting this figure. If you are more scale-conscious, the smaller Play Visions or Yowie Group figures might be better, however; the former is probably more accurate but the latter is easier to find these days.