The occurrence of wildcats in the southern Swiss Jura Mountains

Abstract

Fourteen wildcats Felis silvestris silvestris Schreber, 1777 were trapped in winter 1993 in the southern part of the Swiss Jura Mountains as a bycatch. During the last thirty years of protection the presence of wildcats in Switzerland could be confirmed by a few dead-found individuals, but the status of the species was unknown. This is the first indication of an existing population. Even though the upper distribution limit of wildcats in central and western Europe is described at 800 m a.s.l., most individuals were caught in altitudes from 970 to 1200 m. We registered a higher catching success in south exposed beech forest and in the sycamore forest, than in the northern exposed Norway spruce forest. During snowcover above 30 cm no wildcats were caught. The capture sites were located within distances of 200-1900 m from human settlements.