Range size and den use of Gordonʹs wildcats Felis silvestris gordoni in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Two Gordonʹs wildcats (Felis silvestris gordoni; Harrison, The Mammals of Arabia, Vol. 2, Ernest Benn Ltd, London, 381pp) were radio-tracked over 1.5 months (male) and 14 months (female) in the desert of the Sharjah Emirate in the United Arab Emirates. The annual range of the female, using the 95% Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP95) estimator was 51.21 km2. Seasonal ranges for the female averaged 19.24±14.6 km2 (n=5) that of the male was 28.65 km2. Monthly ranges (MCP95) of the female averaged 16.41±9.39 km2 (n=12) and 21.36 km2 (20.39 and 22.32 km2 (n=2)) for the male. The male wildcat moved 8.64±2.40 km/night (n=16, range 5.7–13.4 km), which was further than the female that moved 4.86±1.32 km/night (n=38, range 2.4–8.4 km). Forty-two den sites were recorded and the majority of dens were used repeatedly. Most dens were on the dune slopes and had single entrances. The large ranges of these wildcats have serious conservation implications in the light of increasing human encroachment into the desert, often trailed by feral cats that pose the threats of hybridisation and transmission of disease to wildcats.