Aurunci nature encounters: the wild cat

When shows its canines and uncover his claws it can intimidate even animals much larger then him. His only, true enemy is anyway man, who gave him a millenary, merciless hunt with firearms, traps and poison. In spite of the millenery prosecutions, he was able to survive and is still inhabiting the wildest and most inaccessible corners of the Aurunci Mountains in southern Latium. This is the story of the silent and mysterious wildcat on the mountains of southern Latium.

I am sitting under an oak tree ….Sleep deprivation, I'd read, induces mania. But we'd need all the patience and determination we could get - we'd chosen to work with some of the world's most elusive cats Naturalists and ecologists had set up specific fields study, but, were necessary months only to see its shadow. Wildcats (Felis silvestris molisana, the Italian sub-species) did once roam all over the Italian peninsula but hunting and persecution have gradually driven them further inland in the most inaccessible areas over the past centuries. Thousand years of potential interbreeding with domestic cats, and persecution for its fur and as vermin, has taken a considerable toll on the Italian wildcat.

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One day in a deep gorge on the southern slopes of the Aurunci facing the sea (not far from Mt Trina) at around 500 mt high, the pale winter sun was brightening the horizon with a nice orange light. It was necessary the all morning to reach there. All around small patches of woodland with oaks, field maple and hornbeam with a thick undergrowth. Then suddenly, a meow like a caterwaul on the left side of the slope. With the binoculars it was possible to see a beautiful wild cat, a male with a large head, long feelers and a grey-havana color fur with the typical large tale with black rings. He was looking a lot like a domestic tabby cat but a lot larger, maybe reaching lengths of 70cm and weighing in at up to 4-5 kilograms.

He was searching for a mating companion. It was a magic moments after months of search for this elusive animal. Then the rucksack suddenly fell from the rock and the sudden noise alerted the big male who, after looking in this direction, vanished like a shadow in a bush on top of a sunny rock. Sighting of the wild cat are very rare even in territories where their presence is sure. Most of its presence is revealed by little part of fur, tracks left in the snow or muddy terrain and blood or feathers from its preys. Sights are rare also because wildcats are nocturnal or crepuscular and active mainly during dawn and dusk. Most of the sights occur almost by chance and often are the dogs that, after smelling its presence, start chasing the wild cat. The final of the story is always the cat that is retreating blowing menacingly in an impenetrable bush or on the nearest tree available.

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Data and research available have provided good information about the status of the wild cat in southern Latium and the first interesting conclusion is that this feline species in not so uncommon here on the Aurunci and the nearby Ausoni Mountains. On the Aurunci Mountains this elusive feline seems to prefer the hilly areas included between 800 and 1000 mt up to 1200 mt high for some individuals. The slopes he seems to prefer are those facing south or west where the wild cat cha warm up and also because these slopes are first ones to be without snow in the spring. The wild cat does not prefer the snow due its short legs who makes difficult the hunting and escape from dangers in the heavy snow.

Wild cats are seen more often between the shadows of the first trees at the edge of the forest, as they do not venture too far from a prospective cover of tall, dense vegetation where he can find refuge if in danger. The best season to have a chance to sopt them in the wild is surely the late winter time when they strat looking for a mating partner, (also the only season when they seem to produce sounds!). Wildcats here mate in February and March and cubs stay with their mothers until they are six months old. Today this beautiful wild feline is only found in scattered populations in Europe. Unfortunately the populated areas within his range are fragmented, with large gaps between them, the clear signal of a much large population that there was in the past before its decline. Even in those areas where they are found numbers are often dangerously low, making survival uncertain. Much of their decline has resulted form the expansion of human population, bringing with it agriculture and deforestation. Thousands of wildcats were killed in the 1800s and 1900s because they were thought to be a pest to farmers and gamekeepers. But today, by far the greatest threat to the European Wildcat is that of hybridisation.

Today’s wild cat main threats are human intrusion on their habitat and interbreeding with domestic cats, replacing the pure genetic line of the wildcat. Although many of the wildcat sub-species live in remote regions, many live in relative close proximity to human habitation and in as much, close to domestic and feral cat populations. In these areas wildcats often mate with domestic and feral cats and over an extended period of time it is possible that certain sub-species will simply 'breed' themselves out of existence. As species is quite ‘choosy’ regarding the integrity of the habitat where he lives and its presence is a signal of a good balance of the natural environment conditions. We have all the moral responsibility to help protecting the beautiful wild areas where he lives if we want to give a chance to our future generation to admire this beautiful wild animal, the ‘grandfather’ of all our domestic feline pets.

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