Wildcat

The wildcat has a flesh-coloured nose, which is the part of the muzzle that is not covered with hair. Its ears are relatively small and it has a bushy tail with two to three black rings and a blunt, black-coloured end. The basic colour of the fur is yellowish-brown. Wild cats do not differ in body size from domestic cats. Wild and domestic cats can only be distinguished from each other by laboratory samples of hair or faeces. The wild cat has disappeared from large areas of its former habitat, although in the Alps it only colonised climatically favoured, snow-poor and dry zones. The offspring from the Alpine Zoo find new habitats in reintroduction projects organised by the Bavarian Nature Conservation Association - i.e. in large forest areas such as the Harz Mountains.