Spatial and Social Dimensions of European Wildcat Felis silvestris Conservation

项目描述：苏格兰野猫是英国和欧洲最优先保护的动物之一。它们是苏格兰野猫行动的主题，这是一个在苏格兰高地物种避难所进行的主要多机构保护方案。由于该物种作为欧洲保护物种受到充分保护，他们现在面临的主要和持续的问题是与家养和自由生活，拥有和无主的猫杂交。该项目将致力于理解和减轻这一保护挑战，并将与主要的野猫保护计划一起工作，为这一重要的保护工作提供研究见解，投入和支持。项目目的和方法：学生将从事野猫，野猫和家猫的生态，生物学，健康和管理工作，生活在苏格兰野猫优先恢复区及其他地区的同域生活。使用跟踪和接近记录技术，他们将了解所有猫的运动和互动。通过使用稳定同位素技术，他们将了解同域野猫，野猫和家猫觅食的变化，以及这与测距行为变化的关系。他们将了解影响项目区猫的健康、福利和行为的因素。通过采用跨学科的方法，使用社会科学的技术，他们将与猫主人合作，了解主人如何管理，喂养和照顾他们的猫。总的来说，他们将了解杂交如何以及在何处发生，以及如何管理这种和其他自有和无主猫之间的相互作用，以改善苏格兰野猫的保护。

Project Description: Scottish wildcats are amongst the highest conservation priorities in UK and Europe. They are the subject of Scottish Wildcat Action, a major multi-agency conservation programme being undertaken in the species' refugia in the Highlands of Scotland. As the species is fully protected as a European Protected Species, the main and ongoing problem they now face is hybridisation with domestic and free-living, owned and unowned cats. This project will work towards understanding and mitigating this conservation challenge and will work alongside major wildcat conservation programmes providing research insight, input and support to this vital conservation work.Project Aims and Methods: The student will work on the ecology, biology, health and management of wildcats, feral and domestic cats living in sympatry in the Scottish wildcat priority recovery areas and beyond. Using tracking and proximity logging technologies they will understand the movements and interactions of all cats. By using stable isotope technologies they will understand variation in foraging of sympatric wildcats, feral and domestic cats and how this relates to variation in ranging behaviour. They will understand factors affecting the health, welfare and behaviour of cats in the project area. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach using techniques from the social sciences, they will work with cat owners to understand how owners manage, feed and care for their cats. Overall, they will develop an understanding of how and where hybridisation might take place and how this and other interactions between owned and unowned cats can be managed to improve the conservation of the Scottish wildcat.