Felis silvestris | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
Taxa
Felis silvestris | Schreber, 1777
Asessment status in full
Endangered
Assessment status abreviation
EN
Assessment status criteria
C2a(ii)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is widely distributed in the UAE except in areas of sand dunes. It is very difficult to distinguish genuine wild animals from hybrids, but using records based on phenotypic appearance, the population size appears to be fairly small and probably in the range of 250-2,500 mature individuals. The species is undergoing continuing decline because of hybridisation with domestic cats, there is also some persecution, and loss of habitat to developments, and the species therefore qualifies for listing as Endangered (EN C2a(ii)). There is unlikely to be a significant rescue effect as the species is widely scattered and declining across the Arabian Peninsula and the borders are mostly fenced, except in higher parts of the mountains, which may impede or prevent cross-border movements.
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Threats listed in assessment
The major threat is hybridisation with feral and free-ranging domestic cats which are now widespread. Disease transfer from domestic cats is also a potential risk (Mallon and Budd 2011). Direct and indirect persecution also occurs, e.g. a burrow was found sealed and the Wild Cat inside suffocated by smoke (Phelan and Sliwa 2005, 2006). Overgrazing in some sites may have reduced vegetation cover and thereby the abundance of small mammals and other prey.
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:
History
It is not clear what criteria would have been used in 1996 (Hornby 1996), but likely to have been assessed under criteria different than those currently applied by IUCN.
Scientific Name | Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Felis silvestris | Animalia | Chordata | Mammalia | Carnivora | Felidae | Felis |