A never-before-seen wild cat has been captured on film by ecologists working in the protected zone of Wadi Wurayah on the East Coast.

Camera traps set up in the mountainous area of Fujairah have captured an image of a rare breed of wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica) whose presence was, until now, just assumed thanks to some elusive tracks.

Felis silvestris lybica Caught on Film by a Camera Trap

The species is threatened by genetic pollution with escaped domestic cats to a point that scientists believe the UAE population of wild cats might not be pure any more. The competition for food and the introduction of diseases by feral cats, the maltreatment of carnivores by trapping and poisoning, and the destruction of natural habitats have had an impact on the survival of this species in the wild.

Wadi Wurayah is a 129-kilometre-square area that was officially declared the UAE’s first protected mountain area by His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah in March 2009.

Studies conducted over the last three years in the wadi have revealed the presence of 12 species of mammals, 73 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles and amphibians, one species of wadi fish and 74 invertebrate families, of which 11 species are new to science…SOURCE