the introduction of the windpump to tap the great karoo’s underground water resources in the late 1800s made permanent human habitation and sheep farming possible over large parts of the great karoo for the first time. as a result, the teeming number of large antelope in the karoo has dwindled into insignificance, and with them, the large carnivores have all but disappeared. today, the caracal (7–19 kg), black-backed jackal (6–10 kg), verreaux's eagle (3.0–5.8 kg) and the martial eagle (3.0–6.2 kg) are arguably the largest predators likely to be seen in the great karoo today. leopards (20–90 kg) do occur, especially in the mountains, but are very secretive, so are rarely seen. many of the animals that formerly inhabited the karoo in large numbers, including lions, have been reintroduced to the area in nature reserves and game farms.