“Once thought to have vanished from the Czech Republic in the 20th Century, wildcats had been documented in the Doupov Mountains in the late 2010s by simple trail cameras – but no one had ever taken high-quality images of them in the area.

In recent years, scientists and photographers using camera traps have also spotted the wildcat in other parts of Europe, where its elusiveness may have helped it secretly survive the historical persecution by hunters that erased other wild species, such as the lynx. There are thought to be about 140,000 European wildcats (Felis silvestris), spread across more than two dozen countries. Reliable estimates are difficult because the cat is so shy: in some places where it was considered lost, such as Austria, camera traps have proven its presence.”

From BBC.