CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF WILD CAT

(FELIS SILVESTRIS): A REVIEW

1Burhan Hafeez, *1Muhammad Faheem Malik and 2Arshad Ghani Khan

1Department of Zoology, University of Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan.

2Department of Entomology, Balochistan Agriculture College, Beleli

*Corresponding Author’s Email: muhammad.faheem@uog.edu.pk

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to review the efforts already been done for the conservation, management and sustainability of
wild cat Felis silvestris. It was revealed that rapid urbanization, industrialization, illegal hunting and trade have adverse
effect to the wild animals’ population especially wild cats. The anthropogenic activities have caused serious food and
shelter threats to them. As a result the population of the wild cat is also under stress. In most of the regions of this globe
including Pakistan the wild cat (F. silvestris) has declared as an endangered spp. For balancing ecosystem in its natural
frame, a proper conservation module including safe habit and habitat is the dire need of the day to save all animals
specially F. silvestris. Thus, deforestation, hunting and trading F. silvestris might be avoided. The goals cannot be achieved
unless public awareness.

KEY WORDS: Wild Cat, Conservation, Urbanization, Diminishing, Extinction, Hunting, Sustainability,
deforestation

HABITAT AND ECOLOGY and Jackson 1996). Asian Wild Cats range up to
2,000 - 3,000 m in mountainous areas with
The habitat selection depends upon two factors,
sufficient vegetation, but are most typically
the first is shelter and the second is food. Bushes,
associated with scrub desert (Nowell and Jackson
junipers and forestry trees provide safe places for
1996). Rodents and lagomorphs are the staple of
shelter and protection. Food is mostly available in
the Wild Cat's diet across its range, with birds of
open areas rich with other smaller animals.
secondary importance, although a variety of small
Wildcats live in these areas for hunting and
prey is taken, and wildcats also scavenge (Nowell
preying to smaller animals as a food. Territory
and Jackson 1996, Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
formation is common in wildcats which is strictly
Phelan and Sliwa (2006) found large home ranges
defended. Food search mostly takes place within
(52.7 km² for a radio-collared female) in desert in
the vicinity of territory (Kilshaw, 2001).
the United Arab Emirates, larger than home
Wild Cats are found in a wide variety of habitats, ranges reported elsewhere in more optimal
from deserts and scrub grassland to dry and haibtat – 6 - 10 km² for females in South Africa's
mixed forest; absent only from rainforest and Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (Herbst and Mills
coniferous forest. European wildcats are primarily 2005 in Stuart et al.2013) and 1 - 2 km² for
associated with forest and are found in highest females in Scotland and France (Stahl et al. 1988,
numbers in broad-leaved or mixed forests with Macdonald et al. 2004).
low population densities of humans. They are also
DISTRIBUTION
found in Mediterranean maquis scrubland,
riparian forest and marsh boundaries and along Wildcat found most of the parts of the world. The
sea coasts. Areas of intensive cultivation and Wild Cat has a very broad distribution, found
urbanisation are avoided. Wild Cats inAfrica are throughout most of Africa, Europe, and southwest
found everywhere outside tropical rainforest, and central Asia into Pakistan, India, China, and
although thinly distributed in true desert (Nowell Mongolia (Macdonald et al. 2010). In Pakistan, the
family felidea is represented by three species where it is replaced by the Southern African Wild
Jungle Cat F. chaus, Sand Cat or Dune Cat F. Cat F.s. cafra (Driscoll et al. 2007).
margarita and Indian Desert Wild Cat F. silvestris.
In Europe, some investigations confirmed the
All of these three species have different
distribution of wildcat Felis selvestris in
conservation status in Pakistan. Jungle Cat have
Carpathian Mountains of Polland increased from
fair population have fair population and is of
1998 to 2002 (Okarma and Olszańska, 2002). In
‘Least Concern’ in Pakistan while Sand Cat facing
Spain, habitat selection in wildcats is still under
severe kind of habitat destruction as well as
debate but not confirmed yet. The preferable
hunting for its fur which having few numbers
habitat is forest but this can be shifted from forest
which have restricted to some districts of
to scrubland (Lozano, 2010). Forest Wild Cat
Baluchistan and declared as ‘Critically
Lineage the European Wild Cat F. s. silvestris was
Endangered’. The third one, Wild Cat is at the
formerly very widely distributed in Europe and is
verge of extinction which is declared as
absent only from Fennoscandia. Severe declines
‘Endangered’ (Sheikh and Molur, 2004). The Asian
and local extirpations occurred in Europe between
Wild Cat F. s. ornata occurs from the eastern
the late 1700s and mid-1900s, resulting in a
Caspian into western India, and north to
fragmented relict distribution (Stahl and Artois
Kazakhstan, and into western China and southern
1991, Nowell and Jackson1996, Piechocki 2001).
Mongolia (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Driscoll et al.
It became extinct in the Netherlands, but may be
2007).
recently expanding its range from neighbouring
Four major intraspecific phylogenetic groups, or countries to recolonize the country (Nowell and
subspecies (following Driscoll et al. 2007, Jackson 1996, Canters et al. 2005). It was
Macdonald et al. 2010) are distributed as follows: considered regionally extinct in Austria
Steppe Wild Cat Lineage The African Wild Cat F. s. (Spitzenberger 2005), but vagrants still occur and
lybica occurs across northern Africa and extends the Italian population is spreading northwards
around the periphery of the Arabian Peninsula to into Austria (Lapini and Molinari 2006). It is
the Caspian Sea (Driscoll et al. 2007), where it possibly extinct in the Czech Republic (IUCN
meets, and/or hybridizes with, the Asian Wild Cat 2007). In some parts of the Wild Cat's distribution
(Harrison and Bates 1991, Heptner and Sludskii (e.g. Scotland, Stromberg in Germany) it is
1992). This extremely wide distributional range is possible that, as a result of hybridization with the
accompanied by a very broad habitat tolerance, domestic cat, very few Wild Cats remain
being apparently only absent from closed tropical (Macdonald et al. 2004, Battersby 2005,
forest. Although thinly distributed in true deserts, Herrmann and Vogel 2005).
such as the Sahara, it occurs especially in
TAXONOMY
association with hill and mountain country, such
as the Hoggar. In Africa, it is found almost in There is still no logical unanimity in how to link
whole continent except in tropical forests and true geographical contrast in the morphology and
deserts. The density of wildcat is not same in this genetics of the worldwidely distributed Wildcat
range instead it differs at different places Felis silvestris to its taxonomy and systematics
(Kitcheneret al., 2017). In North Africa it occurs (Kitchener and Rees 2009). The recent
discontinuously from Morocco through Algeria, phylogeographical survey (Driscoll et al. 2007,
Tunisia, Libya and into Egypt. It has an extensive Macdonald et al. 2010) propose that the Wildcat
distribution across the savannas of West Africa consists of five subspecific groups, comprising
from Mauritania on the Atlantic seaboard, three traditional subspecies (Nowell and Jackson
eastwards to the Horn of Africa, Sudan and 1996, Stuart et al. 2013): the African Wildcat (F. s.
Ethiopia; southwards it is present in all East and lybica Forster, 1780), the Asian Wildcat (F.
southern African countries (Stuart et al. 2013), s.ornata Gray, 1830), and the European Wildcat (F.
s. silvestris Schreber, 1775), with the additional
recent identification of the Southern African Concern. However, introgressive hybridization
Wildcat (F. s. cafra Desmarest, 1822) and the with domestic cats is considered extensive, and
incorporation of the Chinese Alpine Steppe Cat taking place across almost the entire range,
into the species (F. s. bieti Milne-Edwards, 1872). potentially resulting in cryptic extirpations of
An substitute taxonomic treatment could be the some populations (Nowell and Jackson 1996;
treatment of F. bieti, F. silvestris, and F. lybica Macdonald et al. 2004, 2010; Driscoll et al. 2007,
(including ornata and cafra as subspecies) as 2011). Although detailed information concerning
three recently scattered phylogenetic species introgression is not available for most parts of its
(Kitchener and Rees 2009, Macdonald et al. 2010). distribution, based on less biased samplings, local
The species concept used here, eliminate F. bietei - introgression rate is estimated 20% in Swiss Jura
this is thought to be a separate good species. The (Nussberger et al. 2014), 36% in France (Say et al.
well-known housecat was domesticated from the 2012), and 43% in west Germany (Hertwig et al.
Wildcat (F. s. lybica), perhaps 9-10,000 years back 2009), and 46% of wild-living cats in France may
in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, belong to a non-Wild Cat group (Say et al. 2012),
simultaneous with increase in agriculture and the whilst the figure may be as high as 88% in
necessity to shield crops from grain-eating Scotland (Kitchener et al. 2005). However,
rodents, based on genetic, morphological and introgression may be evaluated differently in each
archaeological proofs (Driscoll et al. 2007, of these studies, making comparisons problematic.
Macdonald et al. 2010). Although obtain from the Even less information is available to assess
Wildcat comparatively recently, for applied temporal changes in introgression rates. Future
reasons the domestic cat is distinguished either as research on hybridization levels and fitness
a separate species F. catus or subspecies F. s. catus. consequences of introgression may warrant a
As mentioned by Macdonald et al. (2010), in terms reassessment of the Wild Cat as a threatened
of biological processes and phylogeny, whether species, owing to population declines of the Wild
domestic cats are treated as a subspecies of F. Cat.
silvestris or a separate species might seem
Possibly extinct: Czech Republic
arbitrary. However, these taxonomic subtlety are
of the highest operational importance because the Regionally extinct: Netherlands
present legislation deliberated to protect the
Wildcat is framed in terms that can be efficacious POPULATION STATUS
only if the Wildcat is identified as a separate
The world's population of domestic cats, Felis
species. Domestics are different than other 'forms'
catus, was estimated as c. 600 million (Baker et al.
of animals and appear through an unusual set of
2010), making the domesticated descendant of
circumstances (i.e., proximity and familiarity with
Felis silvestris one of the world's most numerous
people). While the genetic relationship between
animals. However, domestic cats hybridise readily
domestic and wildcats is very close, Driscoll et al.
with Wildcats, and genetic analysis of “wildcat”
(2007) did find proof for a genetically separated
samples found that most populations showed
group of cats that corresponds to 'domestics'.
evidence of hybridisation (Nowell and Jackson
Red list category & criteria 1996, Driscoll et al. 2007). There are probably
very few, if any, “wildcat” populations which have
Over all conservation status: least concern little history of hybridisation with domestic cats.
This introgression with domestic cats makes an
Conservation status in Pakistan: endangered
estimation of Wildcat population size very difficult
species
even in comparison to other similarly elusive wild
JUSTIFICATION felids. Morphological criteria and genetic markers
have been developed that should help to resolve
The Wild Cat is the most common and widely
these problems (Schauenberg 1969, 1977, Randi
distributed wild felid, and thus listed as Least
and Ragni 1986, 1991, French et al. 1988, (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Lüps et al. 2002,
Beaumont et al. 2001, Reig et al. 2001, Pierpaoli et Schulenberg 2005). The species is still considered
al.2003, Yamaguchi et al. 2004a,b, Kitchener et al. a pest in Scotland and is illegally persecuted
2005, Driscoll et al. 2007, 2011, Platz et al. 2011, (Macdonald et al. 2004). Predator control
Nussberger et al. 2013, 2014, Devillard et al. measures in a number of European countries may
2014). In the Near East region, Wildcats occur at result in this species being killed as bycatch, e.g.
low population densities, and are threatened by snaring and lamping in Scotland. Wild Cats are
habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation as also killed as pests in southern Africa, although
well as hybridisation with domestic cats (Phelan this does not seem to have resulted in population
and Sliwa 2006). Most detailed population declines (Stuart et al. 2013). In the past Asian Wild
information is available about the European Cats were trapped in large numbers for their fur,
subspecies, F.s. silvestris, although there is still a although at present there is little international
lack of information regarding its current status trade (Nowell and Jackson 1996). Historically,
and population trends. There have been no recent habitat loss led to dramatic declines in Europe and
large-scale surveys or European regional reviews Russia in the 18th to mid-20th centuries
of the status of the species (Macdonald et al. (Macdonald et al. 2004). However, Wild Cats can
2004). During the European Mammal Assessment do well in cultivated landscapes, which increase
process (IUCN 2007), information (ranging from rodent population densities (Sunquist and
detailed national surveys to expert opinion) was Sunquist 2002), although these are the areas
collated for a number of European range states where hybridizationwith domestic cats occurs and
and is presented below, but this is by no means a spreads.
comprehensive review. A review of the status of
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
the Wildcat in Europe in the 1980s and early-mid
1990s can be found in Stahl and Artois (1991) and The management plan for the conservation of
Nowell and Jackson (1996). Wildcat differs from area to area, habitat to
habitat and feeding habits (Macdonald etal. 2004).
In the past Asian Wild Cats were trapped in large
The key recommendations, however, for wildcat
numbers for their fur, although at present there is
conservation, management and sustainability are
little international trade (Nowell and Jackson
expressed as: Conduct scientific research survey
1996).
to estimate the population of Wild Cat to establish
MAJOR THREATS the management plan (Sheikh and Molur 2004).
Discover the biodiversity of that particular area
Wild Cats are most threatened by domestic cats.
for determination of food chain and food web for
Although the lack of information, especially
proper food supply to ensure food (Stuart et al.
outside Europe, prevents us from drawing a
2013). Start field project for migratory
general conclusion, hybridization is considered
mammalian species which are link in food chain as
widespread; there may be very few Wild Cat
food or predators of some disease causing agent to
populations remaining where there is little history
avoid disease (Macdonald et al. 2004). Appoint
of hybridization with the domestic cat (Nowell
technically trained persons for wildlife to look
and Jackson 1996, Macdonald et al. 2004, Phelan
after the species condition and to conduct better
and Sliwa 2006, Driscoll et al.2007). Feral
management plan, otherwise results may not be
domestic cats also compete with Wild Cats for
fruitful (Say et al. 2012). Then we have to study
prey and space, and there is a high potential for
the food chain and food web for management to
disease transmission between domestic cats and
ensure food supply (Kitcheneret al., 2017). Visit
Wild Cats (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Yamaguchi
the selected area after regular intervals to observe
etal. 1996, Daniels et al. 1999, Macdonald et al.
population and environmental changes (Sunquist
2004). Other threats include significant human-
and Sunquist 2002). Sharing of information
caused mortality, in Europe, especially road kills
among departments who collect data of
biodiversity to make the conservation and It is concluded that anthropogenic activities seems
management plan easier (IUCN 2007). Link the to be the most severe threat for survival of wild
collected data for oriented research projects to cat. Increase human population, food demand,
conserve Wild Cat in future security (Phelan and hunting and deforestation have led to habitat loss
Sliwa 2006). for all animals including wild cat. A vigorous
public awareness campaign and enforcement of
CONSERVATION ACTIONS
wildlife legislation is the dire need to conserve
The Wild Cat is fully protected across most of its wild cat as well as other wild animals. The
range in Europe and Asia, but only some of its hybridization of wild cat spp. with domestic cat
African range (Nowell and Jackson 1996), must be restricted for saving true breed.
although effective implementation of protection
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