Cat News 69
Editorial
Wildcat in Europe
In the first months of 2018, we caught and radio-collared some wildcats on the Swiss Plateau, in the plains between the Jura Mountains and the Alps. This cultivated landscape is presently recolonised by Felis silvestris after it was absent for more than one hundred years. At almost the same time, we were approached by Scottish Natural Heritage with the request to do an evaluation of the wildcat in Scotland and the lasting efforts to save it from extinction (see summary article in this issue). It was a startling experience working simultaneously on these two tasks: Here, this little cat that is generally below the radar of conservation organisations, but reconquers ground lost in the past and even expands into areas not known to be part of its historic range, there, the lasting and desperate struggle for the survival of the same small cat in a landscape that is not more human-dominated than my own country. Felis silverstris – classified as a distinct species from Felis lybica by Kitchener et al. (2017) – exists in Europe in four metapopulations (plus some isolated (island) populations): The East and South-eastern, the Italian, the Iberian, the West-central, and the Scottish population. The potentially largest, but least known metapopulation is the East and South-eastern one. The species is widespread from the Ukraine and the Carpathians south to Greece, but the fragmentation of the range, the population trend and the conservation status is largely unknown, although in Bulgaria, wildcats seem to be stable or even slightly increasing (D. Zlatanova, pers. comm.). The Italian population is thought to be increasing and expanding (F. A. Angelici, pers. comm.), in contrast to the Iberian metapopulation, which Pedro Monteroso (pers. comm.) believes to be declining. But indeed, nowhere we have a monitoring allowing to assess the trend of the metapopulations consistently. The north-western continental metapopulation, however, experiences an remarkable renaissance. The French population – the largest part of the metapopulation – is increasing and expanding. In Germany, the spatial dynamics of the past years have led to an amazing expansion and reunion of formerly isolated occurrences. In Switzerland, we have observed the recolonisation of the historic range in the Jura Mountains, but also an expansion into the Plateau and the north-western Alps, which were historically not know to be wildcat range. On the other hand, the situation in Scotland is most critical. In spite of ongoing conservation measures, the wildcat seems to be at the verge of extinction. The ratio of pure wildcats to hybrids is nowadays so bad that it is highly unlikely that the "Scottish wildcat" can be saved through the implementation of conservation measures in situ alone. The striking difference between the situation in Scotland and on the north-western continent has probably several reasons; an important one may be the historic bottleneck of the wildcat population, which was never as severe on the continent as it was in Scotland. Other hypotheses for the critical situation of the wildcat in Scotland included habitat quality, human-induced mortalities including traffic accidents, and the contact to domestic cats. Most of these possible explanations were not convincing when looked at through my "continental eyes". Some of our radio-collared wildcats lived throughout the summer in crop fields and returned only to the "forest" (indeed narrow bands of trees along drainage channels) when the fields were harvested. Road and traffic density in Switzerland is as high – or higher – as in Scotland, and besides the fact that the Scots drive on the wrong side of the road, I could not see much of a difference. And finally, domestic cat abundance in Switzerland is high, too – indeed much too high, as my ornithological friends assure me. Nevertheless, the striking difference is the degree of hybridisation. Crossbreeding of silvestris and catus occurs also on the continent, but the frequency of hybrids is low, and they seem not to be able to impact the wildcat populations lastingly. Although an increasing number of genetic studies have examined hybridisation of wildcats with domestic cats, we do not understand the background of crossbreeding. Do hybrids have the same fitness as wildcats? Does a wildcat consider a domestic cat as a conspecific? How do hybrids behave compared to wildcats? One purpose of our study on the Swiss Plateau is to study interactions between wildcats and their domesticated cousins. But now, as we survey wildcats by means of telemetry, we do not observe domestic cats within their territories (although those widely overlap with neighbouring conspecifics). Do wildcats expel the domestics? All such mechanisms, which may prevent a lasting hybridisation, seem not to be valid (any more) in Scotland. Clearly, if once the status of a hybrid swarm, hence a continuum for wildcats to domestic cats, is reached, all physiological, ethological or ecological differences that separate the two species may become ineffective. Understanding and mitigating such phenomenon and threats requires sharing of experiences from different parts of a species’ range and under different circumstances. We do not understand in detail the conservation status and trend of Felis silvestris across its range. But the two best-known situations are those of the north-west continental metapopulation and of the wildcat in Scotland – and they contrast strongly, although landscape, climate, habitats, infrastructure, economy, and culture of these two regions are all in all comparable. I am not sure about the perspective of the wildcat in Europe; but I am certain that my view would be clearer but wrong if during the past year, I would have made only the Scottish or the Swiss experience.
Urs Breitenmoser
Reference
Kitchener A. C., Breitenmoser-Würsten Ch., Eizirik E., Gentry A. et al. 2017. A revised taxonomy of the Felidae. The final repost of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. Cat News Special Issue 11, 80 pp.
Macho Uno: a sign of hope for the jaguars of Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica by E. R. Olson, P. J. Matzinger, G. Saborío and J. Carazo-Salazar
A long-term camera trap study in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica documented the presence of a male jaguar Panthera onca, appointed Macho Uno, repeatedly in 2008 and 2015–2018. We estimated Macho Uno to be 12–14 years of age, representing one of the oldest recorded wild jaguars. Throughout our study, Macho Uno was highly philopatric, being observed in the same general area of Corcovado National Park each year, and ranged over an area of 25.9 km². Macho Uno’s resident status, small and stable home range area, and relatively short distance movements (3.5–7 km) are good indicators that Macho Uno likely occupies high quality habitat. Amidst concerns regarding the status of jaguars in the park, the resiliency of Macho Uno within the core of Corcovado National Park is an encouraging sign.
First confirmed record of margay in Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica by S. Arroyo-Arce, I. Thomson, D. Guy and A. Searcy
Information regarding the margay Leopardus wiedii is very scarce in Costa Rica, with most studies targeting the larger species of wild cats. Through a long-term monitoring camera trap programme, we confirmed the presence of the species in Tortuguero National Park. Thus, constituting the fourth species of felids documented in the park in addition to the jaguar Panthera onca, the puma Puma concolor and the ocelot Leopardus pardalis.
Unusual resting places of sand cat in Moroccan Sahara? by J.-M. Bompar, E. Durand, S. Durand and T. Perrier
In autumn 2018 during a naturalist prospecting trip in the Dakhla-Aousserd region of the Moroccan Sahara, we discovered several sand cats Felis margarita resting in bird nests built in acacia trees Acacia raddiana. This original behaviour – not previously documented we believe – is described here.
Range expansion: Servals spotted in the Kalahari by G. E. Finerty, L. Bahaa-el-Din, S. Henley, M. K. Kesch, J. Seymour-Smith, L. K. Van der Weyde, D. W. Macdonald and A. J. Loveridge
Servals Leptailurus serval have a widespread distribution across sub-Saharan Africa with two large gaps: one in the tropical forest block of central Africa and one in the arid western block of southern Africa. We present new camera trap records of servals that fall within a large portion of the latter gap, including records from Khutse Game Reserve and Ghanzi that are more than 100 km outside the known range of the serval and may suggest a Kalahari-wide distribution.
Supporting Online Material
Occurrence of Eurasian lynx in western Poland after two decades of strict protection by R. W. Myslajek, I. Kwiatkowska, T. A. Diserens, A. Haidt and S. Nowak
Studies on the occurrence of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in Poland revealed that after over two decades of species protection its range of permanent occurrence has still not substantially extended westwards. While single individuals have been recorded in some forests, lynx reproduction is still restricted to central Poland, where likely occur the descendants of individuals reintroduced at the turn of the 21st century. Dispersal of the lynx in central Poland is hampered by discontinuity of ecological corridors due to urbanization and development of transport infrastructure, while their settlement is hindered by the simplification of local forest structures.
Supporting Online Material
First camera trap record of Persian leopard in Ustyurt State Nature Reserve, Kazakhstan by M. V. Pestov, Z. E. Nurmukhambetov, A. T. Mukhashov, V. A. Terentyev and T. Rosen
In Autumn 2018, a live Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor was recorded for the first time on a camera trap on the territory of the Ustyurt State Nature Reserve USNR (Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan). This is the fourth confirmed case of the appearance of a leopard in Kazakhstan, with three occasions in the Mangystau region and one occasion in Zhambyl region. Likely leopards come to Kazakhstan from neighbouring Turkmenistan. The article contains recommendations on further studies to identify whether other individuals are present in the area, the introduction of the leopard into the Red Book of Kazakhstan and on the expansion of the territory of the Ustyurt State Nature Reserve and its protection zone in order to preserve the entire desert ecosystem, including the Persian leopard.
First photographic evidence of snow leopard from Lippa Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary, India by A. Bhattacharya, N. Chattarjee, K. Angrish, S. Shrotriya, B. C. Sinha and B. Habib
We report the first photographic evidence of snow leopard Panthera uncia presence in Lippa Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary WLS in Himachal Pradesh, India. Camera trapping was done for the first time in this remote WLS situated in the Kinnaur district. The camera trap was triggered by snow leopard at an altitude of 3,938 m. Presence of snow leopard beyond known areas indicates good snow leopard population and opens new avenues for the conservation of the species.
Clouded leopard: The sixth felid of Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar, India by S. Shafi, K. K. Maurya and M. Gupta
Clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa is an elusive, semi-arboreal, forest dwelling felid, classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources IUCN and currently placed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora CITES as an Appendix I Species. In India, it is protected as Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This note presents the first record of clouded leopard in Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar, situated in eastern most part of Terai Arc Landscape, India.
Fishing cat conservation in human-dominated landscapes in West Bengal, India by S. S. Kolipaka, D. P. Srivastava, S. Prasad and N. A. Rust
In India, fishing cats Prionailurus vivverinus are found both in protected and unprotected landscapes. To ensure the continued survival of fishing cats in the unprotected human-dominated Amta block of West Bengal state, local conservation enthusiasts started the ‘Bhagrol Basa Fishing Cat Project’ in 2016. Their efforts to safeguard the fishing cat revealed fascinating findings into the lives of this felid species that appears to be able to live alongside humans. The project’s efforts to increase interest within the local community to support fishing cats in the 30 km² area show first results. In this case study, we provide insights into the progress of the project. The experiences offer optimism that, in India, human-fishing cat coexistence may be less concerning than survival of leopards or tigers in human-used lands. To roll out this project further and help protect fishing cats in other unprotected areas, the Bhagrol Basa Fishing Cat Project plans to look beyond its current work area to similar adjoining human-dominated lands of West Bengal.
Supporting Online Material
Video V1: An interaction between a golden jackal and fishing cat (Video S. Prasad).
Video V2: Steps leading to a community Pond used by People during the day are used by fishing cat at night time (Video S. Prasad).
Video V3: Fishing cat scent marking an area near the Pond (Video S. Prasad).
First record of Pallas's cat in Uttarakhand, Nelang valley, Gangotri National Park, India by R. Pal, T. Bhattacharya and S. Sathyakumar
The knowledge of presence and distribution of Pallas’s cat Otocolobus manul in its southern distribution limits which includes the Trans-Himalayan region of India and neighbouring countries is limited to few confirmed records. Here, we report the first record of Pallas’s cat at a site (4,800 m, 31°20’4.8444’’ N / 79°11’40.9812’’ E) in Nelang valley of Gangotri National Park GNP in Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India. The current information on the distribution of this species might underestimate the actual range of occurrence and needs dedicated studies on its occurrence and threats.
Camera trap records of rusty-spotted cat from Similipal Tiger Reserve, Odisha, India by S. R. Mishra, M. Mohan and J. Pati
The rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus has only recently been reported from the Similipal Tiger Reserve, Odisha, India for the first time. The rusty-spotted cat is the least known of the small cats in this particular region. During a camera trap survey primarily targeted for tigers Panthera tigris, rusty-spotted cat was photographed at two different locations in Similipal tiger reserve in 2017. This is the first photographic evidence of rusty-spotted cat captured by camera traps in the tiger reserve.
First photographic record of rusty-spotted cat from Thane Forest Division, India by Z. Valjrinkar, T. A. Rather, J. S. Ramgaokar and K. Gore
The rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the world’s smallest cat species and is endemic to India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Being previously unreported, we present the first camera trap record of rusty-spotted cat from Thane Forest Division, Maharashtra, India. The species was captured in a camera trap survey aimed to prepare the biodiversity profile of the Thane Forest Division from April to June 2018.
Road-kill record of a rusty-spotted cat in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal by D. Adhikari, P. R. Joshi, L. P. Poudyal, P. Sigdel, S. Poudel, G. B. Shah, J. G. Sanderson, S. Chaudhary and S. Dahal
The rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the smallest felid in the world and is found only in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. The first record of rusty-spotted cat in Nepal dates back to 2016 from the protected areas of western Terai. Very little is known about this elusive cat all over its distribution range owing to very few targeted studies. Here we present the opportunistic road kill record of a rusty-spotted cat near Arjuni Phanta in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal.
First record of Asiatic golden cat from Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale Area, Nepal by J. Rai, K. Yadav, S. GC, R. Acharya, K. Thapa and Y. Ghimirey
We report the first record of Asiatic golden cat Catopuma temminckii from Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale TMJ area in Nepal. This is also the second photographic record of the felid in the country and first record of a brown pelage Asiatic golden cat in Nepal.
A leopard cat with its kittens camera trapped in Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal by R. Baral, R. B. Gurung, R. K. Gurung, S. K. Yadav and Y. Ghimirey
On 27 May 2018, a leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis was captured with its two kittens in a camera trap at 09:53 h in Ghandruk, Annapurna Conservation Area ACA, Nepal. The precise location was in Annapurna Rural Municipality, Ward number 11. In Nepal, the breeding status of leopard cats is little known. This is the first camera trap record of a leopard cat with kittens in ACA and probably in Nepal. The cat was captured at an altitude of 2,228 m (28°25.076' N/83°49.480' E) in a mixed broadleaf forest.
Supporting Online Material
Video V1 (Video NTNC-ACAP/Project Abroad/Ghandruk)
Clouded leopard in biological corridor of Bhutan, an opportunity for population dispersal by L. Letro and D. Duba
Clouded leopards Neofelis nebulosa were recorded from both within and outside the protected areas in Bhutan, but its occurrence in biological corridors BC was not officially reported. This study describes the occurrence of clouded leopard in the biological corridor no. 8, one of the eight BCs in Bhutan, which connects Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park JSWNP in central Bhutan and Wangchuck Centennial National Park WCNP in northern Bhutan. This finding indicates that BC8 in Bhutan enables population dispersal of enigmatic wild felids like clouded leopard between protected areas. Thus, the species can be used as focal species for framing BC management plans.
Claw imprints in leopard cat tracks - implications for foot-print-based fishing cat claims by S. G. Platt and J. W. Duckworth
This note documents the case of a leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis that left obvious claw-marks in its tracks. This observation has ramifications for widely held views amongst wildlife surveyors and conservation practitioners on the identification of fishing cat Prionailurus. viverrinus based on track morphology.
First camera trap photo of marbled cat in Ulu Sat Permanent Forest Reserve, Malaysia by K. Hambali, M. H. S. A. Razak, M. S. Abdullah and M. A. A. Aziz
During our recent scientific expedition to study the biological diversity of the Ulu Sat Permanent Forest Reserve, our camera trap caught a marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata. This is the first record of the species in this forest reserve. This indicates that the study area may be an important habitat for the species and could also serve as a movement corridor. Therefore, the study area should be considered for the conservation purposes of the species and continuous research is required to get more information.
A decade on: The second collaborative Sumatra-wide tiger survey by D. S. Chandradewi, G. Semiadi, I. Pinondang, V. Kheng and L. D. Bahaduri
Millions of dollars are annually spent to reverse the decline of large carnivore populations from their main threats of poaching and conversion of natural habitats, typically to agriculture. Yet, the cost-effectiveness of such investments is poorly understood, mainly because estimates of species population trends at appropriate spatial scales are lacking. With this in mind, the first Sumatra-Wide Tiger Survey SWTS was conducted from 2007–2009 to set a status baseline for the Critically Endangered Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae. Led by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, together with eight NGO partners, this survey was at the time the most comprehensive tiger-range state survey, in terms of the number of field practitioners (40+ people), spatial coverage (> 11 million hectares) and use of a robust patch occupancy framework.
Conservation of the wildcat in Scotland: a review by U. Breitenmoser, T. Lanz & C. Breitenmoser-Würsten
In spring 2018, the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan Steering Group approached the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group with regard to an evaluation of the situation of the wildcat in Scotland and the implementation of conservation activities so far. We present here a summary of this, which was mainly based on the scientific literature and available reports. The full report including the references can accessed at https://www.nature.scot/wildcat-scotland-review-conservation-status-and-activities.