IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Herbst, M.; Foxcroft, L.; Le Roux, J.; Bloomer, P.; Do Linh San, E. | |
| A conservation assessment of _Felis silvestris_ | |
| 2016 Book Chapter | |
The African Wildcat is listed as Least Concern because it is the most common and widely distributed wild felid within the assessment region. However, extensive hybridisation and introgression with domestic cats across its global distribution range has been recorded. Recent studies suggest lower levels of introgression than expected in South Africa (Wiseman et al. 2000; Le Roux et al. 2015). As incidences of hybridisation correlate with human population pressure, high rates of rural and urban expansion (8% and 15% respectively for both Northern Cape and Limpopo provinces), especially around protected area edges, may increasingly threaten this species. Further research on the levels of hybridisation and declines of genetically pure subpopulations may thus lead to a reassessment of the African Wildcat as a threatened species, under criterion A4e. Key interventions include the establishment and enforcement of large protected areas to reduce the edge effects of the wild-domestic animal interface (for example the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park), and spaying and neutering domestic cats, especially in rural areas and close to protected areas. |
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