Overview

• A six-year “Wildkatzenwälder von morgen” initiative, funded by the federal government and Saxony’s environment ministry, seeks to restore and interconnect deciduous mixed forests for wildcats.
• Conservation efforts have brought European wildcats back from near extinction, but ongoing habitat loss and landscape fragmentation continue to threaten their survival in regions like Saxony.
• BUND urges cat owners to neuter free-roaming pets to prevent interbreeding with wildcats and to reduce the suffering of about two million stray cats in Germany.
• For World Cat Day, BUND Sachsen will host an information booth, educational games for children and an expert presentation at Leipzig’s Auwaldstation to engage local communities.
• Serving as a Leitart, the European wildcat’s recovery is viewed as a barometer for preserving biodiversity and fostering climate-resilient forest ecosystems.