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ENDANGERED ANIMALS

Valentina Baleva

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THE RED BOOK OF BULGARIA LISTS 19 MAMMALS AND 100 BIRD SPECIES THAT ARE ENDANGERED.

There are 409 bird species in Bulgaria. 327 species are protected. 100 of them are included in the Red Book.

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THE WILDCAT

  • The wildcat is a small predator of the cat family. Its length is from 45 to 80 cm, height up to 43 cm, tail 29-34 cm, weight from 3 to 8 kg. It lives in rocky or forested areas and feeds on small mammals, such as rodents and rabbits. There are also known cases of attacks on young deer and goats. It prefers to hunt at night and avoids encounters with people, which is why direct observations of it in nature are very rare.

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NOWADAYS, THE WILD CAT HAS BECOME A RELATIVELY RARE ANIMAL, AS DOMESTIC CATS AND HUMANS DISPLACE IT FROM THE BIOTOPE IT TRADITIONALLY INHABITS.

  • The wildcat is a territorial animal and, like most of its relatives in the Cat family, avoids the company of its own kind outside of the breeding season, which occurs twice a year (spring and autumn). After about two months of pregnancy, the female retreats to a hidden hollow in a tree and gives birth to three to six cubs, which she nurses for about four months. The cubs are born blind and helpless, just like the domestic cat.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Valentina Baleva