The European wildcat is in danger of extinction in Portugal. The first confirmed sighting of a wildcat within a Greater Côa Valley rewilding site is therefore great news, highlighting the importance of landscape restoration efforts and targeted population support measures.
A collaboration with the Zoological Society of London saw multiple camera traps deployed in the Velebit Mountains and Rhodope Mountains rewilding areas this summer. The information collected should enhance the ongoing rewilding of both areas.
The surveying work will bring a greater understanding of the distribution and abundance of roe deer populations in Portugal’s Greater Côa Valley (part of the Western Iberia rewilding area). This is the first step in increasing the availability of natural prey for Iberian wolves.