EVALUATING HABITAT USE AND DETECTION PROBABILITY OF THE EUROPEAN WILDCAT (FELIS SILVESTRIS): A CAMERA TRAPPING STUDY IN SOUTHERN ITALY

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a medium-sized carnivore of conservation concern, considered nearly threatened in Italy. There were few studies about habitat ecology and distribution of this species in Italy in the early 2000s, especially in Southern regions. In an attempting to fill this gap of knowledge, we conducted a camera trapping study of Felis silvestris in the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano (Campania region) during 2008-2010. Our aims were to evaluate the role of forests and shrublands in the habitat use pattern of the felid and produce information applicable to its conservation. Camera traps were deployed at 71 sampling sites in a 1020 km2 study area. We obtained 61 photographic captures of Felis silvestris from 19 cameras, over a total of 5983 camera trapping nights. We fit a suite of competitive single-season occupancy models to wildcat detection/non-detection data to evaluate site use and detection probabilities. We estimated an average wildcat site use probability of 0.716 (0.231 SE), a value that was 2.7 higher than the naïve proportion of sites used (0.267), due to very low probability of detection (0.084 [0.052 SE]). Model selection analysis supported the view of Felis silvestris as a forest carnivore in Mediterranean regions, partially in contrast to some other studies. In our study, wildcat use probability increased in sites with higher forest cover proportions, irrespective of the forest type. Predicted detection probability largely increased in sites with repeated applications of scent lure. Results suggested the importance of maintaining residual forests in shrub-dominated landscapes for wildcat conservation. Moreover, we provided evidence that use of scent lures could improve the efficiency of wildcat camera trapping surveys, by increasing the wildcat detectability. This in turn reduces the uncertainty around parameter estimates and improve inference about distribution and habitat requirements of wildcat