The article depicts a field biologist's efforts to monitor European wildcats in southern Spain alongside her daughter, Sabana. This activity underscores the merging of personal and professional passions, fostering a love for nature in the next generation. The wildcat populations, particularly in the Mediterranean region, are declining significantly due to various threats including habitat destruction, legal and illegal hunting, road accidents, and hybridization with domestic cats. Research on wildcats lags behind that of more prominent species, making conservation efforts all the more necessary to protect these elusive felines.
"In this photograph, I am using radio tracking to monitor European wildcats (Felis silvestris) with my daughter, Sabana. I love this image, because it brings together my two worlds: science and motherhood."
"These cats are elusive and understudied, especially in the Mediterranean region. There's more research on the reproductive ecology of cheetahs, say, in remote areas, than on wildcats in Europe."
"Wildcat populations are in sharp decline and the animals are now absent from much of their former range in the Iberian Peninsula, owing to legal predator control and illegal killings, as well as road accidents."
"Understanding the balance of all of these factors is crucial to identify potential threats, reassess the need for greater protection and urge governments to take conservation action."
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