On quiet paws: Wildcats detected in Brandenburg
After around 200 years, the European wildcat has returned to Brandenburg's forests. Monitoring by the State Office for the Environment (LfU) has provided confirmed evidence from the High and Low Fläming as well as the Schorfheide, the Ministry of the Environment reported on Friday. Genetic analyses have identified nine wildcats in the High Fläming and three female wildcats in the Jüterbog wilderness area.
Photo traps have also been used to spot offspring, according to the ministry. In addition, this year a tomcat was run over on the highway 11 near Pfingstberg in the Uckermark. It can be assumed that the wildcats have also returned to other areas such as the Niederlausitzer Landrücken.
According to the ministry, the evidence is provided by sticks in the forest floor. These are sprayed with valerian essence, which entices wildcats of both sexes to rub against the sticks during the mating season. There they leave behind hairs that can also be assigned to individuals during the analyses.
According to the press release, the wildcat was probably wiped out by humans in what is now Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg at the end of the 18th and middle of the 19th century. The LfU is monitoring the return of the specially protected mammal species. There is no active reintroduction.
The return of wildcats to Brandenburg's forests is a significant step towards nature conservation, benefiting the overall environmental health. Effective conservation strategies should be implemented to ensure the continued survival and expansion of these animals in their new habitats.
Source: www.dpa.com
