European Wildcats Are Slowly Making a Comeback in the Forests of Central Europe

Recently, a team of researchers in the Czech Republic made a surprising but promising discovery — European wildcats (Felis silvestris) were reproducing in the Lusatian Mountains, a range that lies on the border with Germany.

The birth of kittens may not sound so remarkable, but it marks a milestone on the species’ road to recovery in Central Europe. Just fifteen years earlier, the European wildcat was thought to be extinct in this part of the world.

Learn more about this elusive wildcat and how researchers are working to restore its population.

The Disappearance Of Europe’s Wildcats

F. silvestris is an elusive creature that resembles a stockier, fluffier version of a domestic tabby cat. The feline was once widespread across vast swathes of Europe, appearing as far west as the U.K. and as far east as Turkey. But from the late eighteenth century onward, and for much of the twentieth century, the species was driven out of Europe due to habitat loss, hybridization with domestic cats, and human activity.

According to the IUCN/SSC Cats Specialist Group, populations did return to some countries — including Belgium, France, Germany, and Slovakia — during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and its status is currently at “least concern” on the IUCN Red List. But elsewhere, the wildcat remained absent. This includes the Netherlands, Austria, and the Czech Republic, where it was thought to have disappeared entirely.

Documenting The Wildcat’s Return

That changed in 2011, when a phototrap in the Šumava National Park in the southeast of the Czech Republic captured photographs of a so-called “ghost cat,” according to a study in Příroda. This was the first piece of evidence proving the wildcats’ presence in the Czech Republic in over six decades.

The species has since been documented in various sites across the western part of the country, including southern, western, northern, and central Bohemia, as well as near the Czech-Slovak border in the east. Indeed, according to a paper published in 2022, there were more than 600 reliable records of wildcat occurrence between 2010 and 2021.

But thanks to their solitary nature, nocturnal habits, and shy character, wildcats can be tricky to spot and monitor. Vladimir Cech Jr, a wildlife and conservation photographer, says he felt “very grateful and privileged” to be able to capture a European wildcat on camera.

Cech, along with researchers at the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, was involved in the capture of a male wildcat called Matěj — a project intending to map the species’ activity in order to better understand their behavior and needs. The team released Matěj after being fitted with a telemetric collar.

“From my very simple view of a wildlife and conservation photographer, the real effort is only in the beginning,” Cech says.

While there is much to be done to secure the species recovery — F. silvestris is still considered critically endangered in the Czech Republic — there are regular glimmers of hope. Recently, this included the reproduction of a male wildcat in the Lusatian Mountains. The cat in question — Jonáš — was spotted with a female, Tonka, and three kittens. DNA analysis of fur and droppings confirmed Jonáš’s status as a wildcat, though it is not yet known what species Tonka belongs to and, therefore, whether or not the kittens are pure F. silvestris.

Wildcats Elsewhere in Europe

The Czech Republic is not the only part of Europe that could see a return of the wildcat. The species is absent in the U.K., except for a tiny population in Scotland, and even that population is considered virtually extinct. But that could soon change.

A report recently conducted by The Wildlife Trusts concluded it would be possible to reintroduce F. silvestris to southwest England after more than a century, citing plenty of wood cover, a lack of risk to other endangered populations, and a positive public attitude.

While admitting “a lot of work remains to be done,” the South West Wildcat Project lead, Cath Jeffs, said in a statement. “It’s exciting that this report suggests wildcats could be part of the region’s nature once again.”

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