For the first time since 2003

The wild cat is stalking through Salzburg again!

A wild cat has been spotted, but not yet confirmed with a DNA sample(Bild: ÖBf/W. Simlinger)

Conservationists are delighted about the first sighting since 2003: a hunter discovered the shy cat near Obertauern in Salzburg. It probably comes from Carinthia. Whether it will stay is uncertain.

It is larger, bulkier and much shyer than the cat lying purring on the couch inside: The first wild cat in 21 years has been spotted in Salzburg! "A hunter saw the animal in November, but only now reported it to our 'Wildcat Reporting Office'," says Tobias Grasegger from the Nature Conservation Association. Even though there is great joy, the experts are cautious: the sighting near Obertauern has not yet been confirmed by a DNA sample.

Conservationists are therefore setting up sticks in the forest, which are sprayed with valerian essence. "The wildcat is attracted to it and rubs itself against it," explains Grasegger. "Hair is left behind, which is examined." In addition, wildlife cameras are triggered by movement - if this is successful, there could also be the first photographic evidence of the wildcat in Salzburg.

But where did the wildcat suddenly come from? The very shy animals were almost wiped out in Central Europe in the late 18th century. "It was thought that the wildcat was dangerous and reduced the game population," explains Grasegger. When this turned out to be wrong, as mice, birds and insects were the main food sources, reintroduction began at the end of the 1920s. However, the population in Salzburg was slow to recover. Grasegger suspects that the cat sighted came from Carinthia, where there is a larger population: "I believe that more animals are moving through Salzburg."