Wildcats return to Vogtland – hope for nature!

Wildcats return to Vogtland – hope for nature!

The time has finally come in Vogtland: after years of speculation, the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) has officially confirmed its return to Saxony. Monitoring that has been carried out by BUND Sachsen, Sachsenforst and the State Environment Agency since 2022 has led to the discovery of wild cats, first in Leipzig and now also in Vogtland. This is part of the nationwide “Wildcat Forests of Tomorrow” project, which runs until 2028. As Sächsische.de reports, 15 to 20 wildcats are already living in the Leipzig riparian forest, while two wildcats, including a female, have been detected in the Vogtland.

The return of these shy forest dwellers is gratifying, as wildcats are not feral domestic cats, but an independent species that has been native to the forests of Europe since the Stone Age. Prehistoric finds show that they have been known by humans for over 300,000 years. But the wildcat's habitat has decreased dramatically due to the effects of agriculture and the construction of roads and settlements, as the Bund Sachsen highlights.

Monitoring and return

To investigate the presence of wild cats in Vogtland, the researchers used lure monitoring. In the spring, decoy sticks were set up along the border with Thuringia and prepared with valerian tincture to attract the animals. The hair collected from the wild cats was genetically analyzed weekly at the Senckenberg Institute in Gelnhausen. The fact that females have high demands on their habitat is crucial for the establishment of the population. Males, on the other hand, tend to move on in search of new territories, while females tend to stay in suitable habitats. Further monitoring measures are already planned to ensure the continued existence and growth of the wild cat population in Vogtland.

Way of life and threats

Wild cats live primarily in undisturbed forests, and several factors threaten their population. These include habitat loss, hybridization with domestic cats and traffic fatalities. Although the European wildcat is not considered endangered, it is protected in Germany. It requires a territory of around 2 to 9 square kilometers, depending on the availability of prey. As a rule, 80% of the wildcat's diet is small mammals, but occasionally they also feed on birds or other animals, as can be seen from the general information on Wikipedia.

Overall, these advances are a ray of hope for species conservation. Wild cats are very popular because of their role in the ecosystem, and it turns out that a positive trend in the population can be observed through targeted protective measures. It remains to be seen how the wildcats will develop in their new home in Vogtland and whether they can settle there in the long term.