We are looking for a wildcat! (2020–2022)

Within the studied area (Strážovské vrchy Mts, Biele/Bílé Karpaty Mts and Javorníky Mts), coordinated monitoring of the wildcat population (Felis silvestris) will take place on both sides of the border in order to determine the presence of this specially protected and endangered species in various habitat types and to create a suitable methodology for its further monitoring. The aim will be to determine the spatial activity and habitat selection of individuals, to estimate the wildcat density using several different methods (camera trapping, noninvasive genetic sampling, and GPS telemetry monitoring). This will provide the first reliable data on this species in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Educational activities, the construction of a rehabilitation station for this species in the Bojnice National Zoo and an evaluation of the degree of risk of hybridization with a domestic cat are also important part of the project. Data on abundance and distribution of wildcat, the developed monitoring methodology and a set of recommended conservation measures are necessary for further protection and management of this species in both countries.
The role of IVB will be primarily to analyzes of non-invasive genetic samples (hairs, scat), which will be supplemented with museum samples, tissue samples from captured individuals, individuals from the rehabilitation station in NZOO Bojnice and from cadavers after vehicle collisions.