African Wildcat (Felis lybica) Information & Facts

Summary:

• Small wildcat species suffer from habitat loss, hunting and human conflicts, just like better-known big cats. But some small wildcat populations also face threats from other felines: hybridization.
• Interbreeding with domestic cats (Felis catus), and also with other wildcat species, can alter the outward appearance, behaviors and genetic profiles of wildcats, and create conservation dilemmas about how best to define and protect a species.
• In Scotland, hybridization caused the functional extinction of a subpopulation of European wildcat (Felis silvestris), but scientists and conservationists are collaborating to rebuild the genetically distinct wild population with kittens reared from selectively bred wildcats.
• To protect the African wildcat (Felis lybica) in South Africa, international partners are working to reduce interbreeding by sterilizing domestic and feral cats near the borders of Kruger National Park. Hybridization can also occur between wildcat species and raises questions about preserving genetic purity vs. ecosystem function.

"With their mid-level trophic role in ecosystems, acting as both predator and prey, small wildcats are important sentinels for detecting ecosystem degradation. They can also be vital for rodent and small mammal control (critical to balanced ecosystems and to helping farmers protect crops at no cost). Perhaps, with some creative public relations work, small wildcats could become ambassadors for threatened habitats the world over.

Wong sees hybridization as an emerging threat to small cat species — occurring naturally in some populations and catalyzed by humans in others. One thing that’s clear, says Wong, is that each small wildcat species has its own unique set of challenges. “That means there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to their conservation,” he says."

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Mating game: Survival of some small wildcats at risk due to housecat hybrids (mongabay.com)

by Elizabeth Devitt - independant science writer

Excerpt:

In many ways, African wildcats are to cats what wolves are to dogs, with some important differences. While a history of domestic cats may seem out of place in an article on a wild creature, it goes to the heart of understanding the challenges faced by conservationists in classifying and protecting African wildcats.

The process of cat domestication was a complex one, and fossil evidence is in short supply, making piecing the events together somewhat tricky. Historians and scientists now believe that domestic cats went through two different periods of domestication – first in south-west Asia around 10,000 years ago and then, once again, in Egypt about 3500 years ago. Genetic analysis indicates that domestic cats may have two different source populations that can be traced to different periods but confirms African wildcats are the true ancestors of domestic cats.

For the most part, African wildcats are somewhat underappreciated – they look so similar to feral cats that they are often dismissed as such, despite their status as one of the “Secret 7” (serval, wildcat, large-spotted genet, civet, porcupine, aardvark and pangolin). Yet these gangly, tough little cats are just as interesting, untamed, and fierce as their iconic big cat cousins.

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Africa Geographic Stores - African Wildcat

by Team Africa Geographic