Black footed cat conservation and infectious diseases of sympatric carnivores

Conservation of black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) and prevalence of infectious diseases in sympatric carnivores in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

Lamberski, N., Sliwa, A., Wilson, B., Herrick, J., Lawrenz, A.

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Diseases of Zoo and Wild Animals, Beekse Bergen, The Netherlands, 20th-24th May 2009 (pp. 243-245). Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.

ABSTRACT

This study is part of a larger conservation initiative to determine the ecology, reproductive biology, genetics, and health of the black-footed cat in the Northern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. It is based on the hypothesis that an assessment of distribution, genetic diversity, disease exposure, and reproductive fitness in free-ranging black-footed cats will allow for better characterisation of the species' conservation status and provide comparative data that can be used to monitor the health of in situ and ex situ populations over time.