Wildcat project
The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is an endangered species legally protected in Europe under the Convention of Washington (CITES; Appendix II), the Directive 92/43 / EEC HABITAT (Annex IV), the Bern Convention (Appendix), and is listed as “least concern” in the IUCN red list. The species is distributed across Europe with fragmented and isolated populations likely threatened by hybridization with the domestic cat (Felis catus), habitat fragmentation, competition for prey and home ranges with the domestic counterpart, and domestic-driven disease transmission.
Italy hosts four genetically differentiated populations of European wildcat that likely originated from past climate changes, historical evolutionary events, and more recent anthropogenic pressures, which, thus, might be considered “significant conservation units”.
The recent evidence of increasing population sizes and natural recolonization of the species’ historic range in some areas of the northern Apennine ridge, and the widespread diffusion of the stray or feral cat population, have likely promoted reproductive interaction between wild and domestic cats, thus increasing the risk of genetic introgression. Therefore, the constant updating of the home range distribution of the species in Italy, the depth knowledge of the health status of the wild populations, in addition to the accurate detection of hybrid individuals, and the quantification of the introgression rate in hybridizing populations are required for developing appropriate wildcat conservation plans and correctly allocating resources for their application.
The Maremma Natural History Museum, in collaboration with ISPRA and the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, has promoted a project focused on creating a National integrated database of the species (namely Felis DB) to collect all the available data on the species in Italy (genetic data, morphometric and phenotypic data, camera trapping and remote sensing data, necropsy and pathogens, GPS data), combining historical (such as the database created by Prof. Bernardino Ragni) with current data. Starting from the database and going on by surveying, taking photos, collecting carcasses and biological samples, and taking care of injured animals, the project aims to deepen our knowledge about the European wildcat in Italy.
Any informative data on the species can be loaded on this site’s “data entry” page, following the loading instructions, and can enrich the Felis DB once validated and verified by a team of scientific experts.