Estimation of European wildcat population size in Sicily (Italy) using camera trapping and capture-recapture analyses

Abstract

The wildcat is an elusive species that is threatened with extinction in many areas of its European distribution. In Sicily the wildcat lives in a wide range of habitats; this study was done on Mount Etna. In 2006, after an exploration of the study area, we used camera traps with the aim of obtaining photographs of the wildcat. After this pilot study we used the experience and data collected to develop a protocol to provide an estimation of the density of the wildcat's population using capture-recapture analyses and the natural coat-marking system to recognize different specimens. We placed two trapping lines adjacent to each other that were run in two consecutive data collection periods. Camera traps worked together for 671 trap-days and we obtained 27 pictures of wildcats, from which we were able to determine 9 different specimens. Then we constructed the history capture of each individual and we used the software CAPTURE to generate an estimation of the density of our study area (0.93 +/- 0.13 wildcat per 100 ha). This value is higher than those calculated in other studies: many possible events could determine this high density in the wildcat population.