Impi Joins the Wild – Once Scared Kitten Now Fierce Warrior
Good Things Guy | 23.02.2026 21:30
Impi was saved from the fate of becoming a ‘pet’ when she was just a kitten. Now mature, all four of her paws have just touched down in the wild.
Limpopo, South Africa (23 February 2026) – The team at Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation (WHWF) in Limpopo has released Impi, a young caracal they rescued as a kitten, back into a safe reserve where she can live wild and free.
Impi had been left in a small cage overnight on a farm in the Waterberg area when WHWF rescued her more than a year ago. She was stressed, and while her exact origin isn’t known, the team believes her mother was most likely killed. This is sadly the case when juvenile predators are found alone.
Sometimes, people try to ‘tame’ wild animals to keep them as pets or to exhibit them in unlicensed private collections. As was the case with Impi.
“The ultimate injustice to a wild thing meant to be free,” shared WHWF.
Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation saved her up from that fate in the Waterberg, and prepared a secure enclosure at their rehabilitation centre. The foundation specialises in rehabilitating and releasing injured and orphaned indigenous wildlife.
They named her Impi, meaning warrior.
Impi grew up at the rehab centre where she was kept wild. As she matured, she built strength, confidence and hunting skills that would enable her to survive and thrive on her own in nature.
“Keeping her wild, she grew up at our rehab center until she was strong enough and had developed the skills to survive in the wild, as she always was meant to.” shared WHWF.
This month, Impi was ready for release. The team opened the door to her forever home on a safe reserve without people, where there’s bush and protected land as far as the eye can see. There, she will establish territory, find a mate, and raise her own cubs.
“Be happy Impi, stay wild and free,” the team shared. “Find a mate and have babies in your gorgeous forever home.”
Watch her release below:
Caracals are incredibly adaptable predators and can still be found across South Africa in reserves to the mountains and greenbelts of the Cape. But they face real threats. Vehicle collisions remain one of the biggest dangers, especially in the Western Cape, where urban roads cut through their territories.
Beyond that, there’s the ongoing issue of people thinking it’s acceptable to keep wildlife as pets. It isn’t. Wild animals are not trophies, status symbols, or there for entertainment. They are part of ecosystems that depend on them being what they are…wild!
“Every wild animal deserves another chance at freedom, you just have to care enough to look for solutions – and we do..” shared WHWF.
