Mellivora capensis-Ratel 
 

1. Legal status
   Unprotected outside of reserves in KwaZulu-Natal, listed as "Vulnerable" in the SA Red Data Book, and on Appendix III of CITES (Botswana, Ghana).
2. Distribution and status
   The ratel is very rare in KwaZulu-Natal, limited mainly to the Bushveld regions and Coast lowlands of the north-east. Current distribution is slightly less extensive than that indicated by Rowe-Rowe (1978a) and Pringle (1977). Protected areas from which ratels have been recorded are False Bay, Hluhluwe, Ithala, Mkhuze, Ndumo, Sodwana State Forest, and Umfolozi.
   Very little information is available on former distribution. A skull was obtained from Giant's Castle Game Reserve in 1918 (Pringle 1977) and there were reports of sightings at Giant's Castle between 1917 and 1923 (NPB unpubl. records). People in north-east KwaZulu-Natal who knew the animal recalled having seen only one or two in 20 to 50 years (Rowe-Rowe 1978a). The single museum specimen comes from Mkhuze GR (1984).
3. Living requirements
   In KwaZulu-Natal ratels appear to favour drier, well-wooded, low-lying habitats in the Bushveld regions and Coastal lowlands of north-east KwaZulu-Natal. Density in a portion of Serengeti National Park was estimated to be < 1/10 km² (Waser 1980), and is probably lower where they occur in KwaZulu-Natal. The diet includes mainly small animals : scorpions, spiders, mice, lizards, snakes, millipedes, centipedes, and insects (including bee larvae and honey) (Skinner & Smithers 1990).
4. Social organisation
   Ratels appear to be solitary, occasionally being recorded in groups of two or three (Rowe-Rowe 1978a).
5. Population dynamics
   No information is available on reproduction in KwaZulu-Natal. Elsewhere in southern Africa breeding does not appear to be seasonal and litters of two have been recorded (Skinner & Smithers 1990).
6. Threats
   In some parts of KwaZulu-Natal ratels are killed for use in traditional medicine. Smithers (1986) pointed out that because they are very rare the killing of ratels has led to local extinctions. They are occasionally also caught in traps set for problem animals, or are accidentally poisoned.
7. Human importance
   Parts of ratels are used in traditional medicine as protective charms or as charms for hunting dogs (Cunningham & Zondi 1991). Ratels are reputed to occasionally kill poultry and raid apiaries (Smithers 1986). They are sometimes apparently incorrectly accused of killing livestock.

THE CARNIVORES OF NATAL
D T ROWE-ROWE
ISBN 0-620-16629-0

RATEL SPOOR