I am a Professor of Zoology and Head of the department Zoology and Anthropology at Faculty of Biology/Sofia University in Bulgaria, with over 30 years of experience in wildlife research and conservation. My interest in wild cats began in 1993, when I worked as Head Keeper of Cats at Sofia Zoo and Head of Education and Research, which developed my research focus on the conservation and ecology of wild carnivores. My work on cat species in Bulgaria primarily concerns the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and European wildcat (Felis silvestris). I am involved in documenting the natural recovery of the lynx in Bulgaria, its distribution and habitat suitability. My work on the European wildcat includes studies of distribution, abundance, density, occupancy, habitat use and threats, including hybridization. I use camera trapping, GIS and spatial modelling, field surveys and genetic sampling to support research, monitoring and evidence-based conservation of wild cats.