Wildcat conference at the end of the year

Thanks to the cooperation of the Budaksi Wildlife Park, the Directorate of the Danube-Eboli National Park and the Bieles Park Forest, a wild cat species conservation program began in 2021, the aim of which is to protect the wild cats that live in the forests near the capital, the Buda and Bieles Hills, and the Visegrad Mountains, factors, For example: exploring the degree of hybridization with domestic cats. – writes on the website of the Danube-Eboli National Park Directorate

Within the framework of the programme, an event entitled “The Grand Master of Stealth in Endangerment III” was held on December 8, 2023, during which participants were able to gain an insight into the difficulties faced in rewilding, and the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Lighthouses and search dogs in nature conservation, the situation of wild cats in Boki and in the territory of the Danube-Eboli National Park.

The morning session was opened by Marta Balogh, dreamer of the Pettichalmi Otter Garden. In his lecture, he talked about repatriating and educating rescued individuals from highly protected otters. This was followed by a presentation by MME staff member Marton Arvai, who introduced the function of maintaining GP signals by hawks and eagles. Data obtained in this way tell researchers much more than point data of individuals captured during ringing. With the help of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, it is possible to detect exactly what dangers lurk in birds of prey, and exactly where they face threats.

After a short coffee break, Gabor Diák (MME) presented his dogs' research results. Animals provide a great service not only in finding carcasses of illegally killed animals and poisons, but also in finding the remains of some large, highly protected carnivores. Zsolt Biro and Otjamir Chemed, representing MATE, presented a study of the distribution of the wild cat and the indigenous manole cat in Mongolia.

Teresa Nava, representative for wild cat protection in Germany, and Peter Gumbcuto, a staff member at the Bokke National Park Department, presented GSM-based individual tagging trials of wild cats recovered after rescue. We can learn a lot about wild cats' land use and the behavior of certain individuals from individuals equipped with GPS collars. The conference concluded with a presentation by Major Borbala (DINPI), who presented the situation of wild cats in the Borzoni region. By projecting Börzsöny wild cat events onto thematic forest condition assessment maps, we can learn a lot about wild cat preferences. The animals are strongly associated with patches of forest with diverse structures, stands, standing and dead trees, and require a quiet habitat.

(Source: Danube-Eboli National Park Directorate: https://www.dunaipoly.hu/)