Alley Cat Rescue encourages individuals to take inspiration from World African Wildcat Day to learn more about these amazing small wild cats and to support measures that protect AWCs.
MOUNT RAINIER, Md., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- African Wildcat Day was started by Alley Cat Rescue to bring worldwide awareness to the historical and ecological importance of the African wildcat species, Felis lybica. The African wildcat is a small feline with three subspecies; the Asian wildcat (F. l. ornata), the North African wildcat (F. l. lybica), and the Southern African wildcat (F. l. cafra).
The African wildcat (AWC) is the ancestor of today's house cat, Felis catus. Their journey to domestication began 10,000 years ago in what was the Fertile Crescent, where they were welcomed by farmers who valued the rodent control the cats provided. Over the centuries, these wildcats domesticated themselves and it was especially in Egypt that a relationship developed between people and the cats.
Today, African wildcat populations face challenges due mainly to habitat loss, land fragmentation, and hybridization with free-roaming domestic cats. Loss of the African wildcat as a species would be a tragedy in itself but it would also cause a disturbance in regional environments. The AWC is part of the biodiversity of South Africa. It is native to a wide range of habitats across Africa, including savannas, grasslands and semi-desert regions in South Africa. The cat plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling populations of small rodents and other prey.
Alley Cat Rescue has been involved with protecting the AWC South African subspecies, Felis l. cafra, from hybridization for many years through their African Wildcat Conservation Action Plan. For information about their conservation work, visit http://www.saveacat.org/african-wildcats.html.
Alley Cat Rescue founder and president, Louise Holton, is set to publish a booklet in 2025 that focuses on the fascinating link between African wildcats and domestic cats. Holton is passionate about the iconic species. "We need to preserve this beautiful small wildcat as she has given us our amazing house cats that have given people so much companionship over a long period of time —living with a small tiger in your home!," says Holton.
Alley Cat Rescue encourages individuals to take inspiration from World African Wildcat Day to learn more about these amazing small wild cats and to support measures, such as anti-poaching laws and domestic cat spay/neuter campaigns, that protect AWCs.
Alley Cat Rescue is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of all cats: domestic, stray, abandoned, feral, and small wildcat species. ACR advocates for humane nonlethal control of feral cats. For more information about ACR, visit their website https://www.saveacat.org.
Media Contact
Debbie Holzer, Alley Cat Rescue, 8189274130, [email protected], https://www.saveacat.org
SOURCE Alley Cat Rescue
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