Touch Not is very pleased to welcome Stefan Eschweiler, a Wildcatt Ambassador in the
Forests 🌲🌲🌲 of Germany 🇩🇪
Please do join us for this fascinating conversation all about this noble animal that needs our help!
Touch Not
for hello everyone welcome to the tou nut Channel joining us today is Stefan eschweiler he’s in Aken Germany uh near the Netherlands border and he’s a wildcat Ambassador with an organization within Germany called Bund uh they’re nature uh conservation organization welcome Stefan thanks so much for being here with us thanks for inviting me Ray oh you’re welcome it’s something I’ve been wanted to do for quite a while once I heard about your work and uh we’ve been talking for a few months I know and finally we’ve gotten together so so I like to hear about uh I guess how you started to be interested in wild cats and and what you do and anything you can fill us in on because I we know very little so go ahead okay uh I try to do my best uh to explain it in in English sure it’s okay uh uh do we call it monitoring I tried to find and locate the wild cats uh in our forest um in this case I’m using up to 15 uh trail cams and um yes uh we do it since uh 20 21 I see and uh last year we had uh the first uh DNA tests with uh the wild cats if the wild cats are P 100% pure wild cats or maybe a hybrid or whatever it it takes and we are very proud that we uh have here uh 100% pure wild cats yes and and you get leads from the public sometimes and sightings of them and you know where to go for that I know you don’t want to disclose where you go but how do you know how do you usually find that out oh sorry the uh the areas you target to go and put the camera traps um how do you select those uh we have the selected them with the the uh what do you call it park ranger okay the ranger they showed me some areas and so it’s a lot of try and search yes try and error however you want to call it correct um and last year we are very happy that the first wild cat uh babies trapped in the in the camera so we had a lot of fun uh to see them German television right coming and saying okay here we have the the K we call it kitten yeah the puppies the babies from from the wild scats and in the camera yeah right a sure a sure sign that they’re thriving of course yeah right so this uh meeting going on and uh and and that kind of thing of course that’s what you want that’s what you want to see as well as protecting the environment and making sure that continues I’m sure yeah uh just we um cover all or uh hide all the places we have located the wild cats that no public running through the areas and disturb them we have a lot of um disturbing yeah yeah disturbing sorry um from Netherlands or Belgium or or other especially over the weekend um they all running in our forest and um nobody cares about the the rules or whatever yeah off-road vehicles yes big problem with the the electric bik uh we call it bike bike I know it’s funny uh the uh uh yeah the electric bicycles mountain bikes uh big problem nobody uses um a bell right you know what I mean a bell at the the the the bikes um it’s a big problem here in in Germany okay now I’m not sure what you mean by the Bell but uh these are these are electric bikes not not gasoline not not petrol not par only uh electric uh B bicycles with uh electric uh Drive yeah I see yep disrupting disrupting the the forest I can see that yes yeah yeah yeah right so I I know that you’ve uh you and I have talked about the the sticks that you use that you put scents on to yeah it’s it’s uh really funny to to show them not only the white Cults are uh you are excited about the the the the SS always uh uh raccoons foxes and um squirrel mhm squirrel and um Pine Martin yes they are very excited about the Valerian okay and uh nobody knows why nobody can explain uh why the squirrel or pine Martin or Martin are so excited about the the Valerian right let me uh let me explain to everybody what we’re talking about there for a second if I can Stefan um yeah because we talked about this ourselves amongst the both of us but so the valarian root is something that they put on to it’s an oil they put onto a wooden steak and put it out in the forest and it’s very rough wood they make the Wood Rough on purpose so that when the animals come they’re attracted to it uh they rub on it like a cat would rub on your furniture at home and it and then it it uh it catches its hairs on there and then those hairs can be studied and if there’s Wildcat hairs on that particular stake then someone like stfine can know where to put camera traps and go further with their studies is that pretty correct yes exactly okay all right yeah so you find lots of different hairs of lots of species on the same Stak I would imagine yes yeah it’s it’s really funny to see or to show and um this is uh what our on my work Mak so so interested or for me uh you see any animal who lives in the forest yes in in our region not right and um yeah it’s a really close work with the the Rangers with the all biologics they work for us all sometimes we are also using um The Specialist of WWF okay yeah worldwide life fun sure yeah nice you always close in in um [Music] ah yeah uh to to change in change information or re yeah information yeah sharing information close sharing information yeah sorry um so what what about Martin and foxes and things are those a competing animal in the cat’s world and not necessarily uh um why they are using the the Valerian I don’t know nobody knows um a colleague of mine is making uh also wild cat monitoring in uh duborg MH no no reason to know um the pine Martin Foxes or what else nobody cares about the huh I don’t know why so um I will try to get the the we have here close Excellence uh University uh in in aen um oh sorry I must I must check I don’t know the words okay uh yeah the valaran is some kind of a vegetable oil or a plant extract probably uh soil science do you know it say again soil moment soil scientist yes I want to contact them um that they um investigate the the environment Al the big difference about the the structure or right whatever nobody knows H not attracted to the Valerian route in that area no Valerian oil I should say yeah yeah wow but not every I must say sorry uh not every wild cat was uh enjoyed the valarian only 50 to 70% of the Wild CS are really enjoying Valerian H yeah is it males and females only or anything there’s no difference no no difference males females right now now when the foxes and Martin are are not a competing animal for food uh with the wild cats or not necessarily directly um they are use um capture a lot of mouses and uh so it’s the the same food for uh like wild cats foxes and and Marts sure always uh love mouses yes and um it’s it’s a great pleasure to see them um because there is one uh how can I explain it in our forest nobody makes a hunt onto Foxes or Recons or Martin or whatever they say okay we are using uh um no we have natural mouse hunter so we don’t kill the M natural mouse hunter right and and there’s no need to see uh say we say uh um to the mouses you know what I mean to poison them yes natural natural control yes I see yeah natural control and this works uh perfect there’s a right keep learning I know what you mean without the foxes and and all they would explode the population would go crazy yeah I understand right so I I know I asked you about the European wild cat in the Scottish wild cat they’re certainly very very close in if not the same animal there may be some differences but I noticed some color differences here and there but have you noticed that kind of thing uh there is a big difference about uh the Scottish wild cats or the the German wild cats mhm only in one topic in in Scotland we have 95% hyb hybrid is it correct hybrids right with with the pet cats yes and here in in Germany we have 3 to 5% hybrids ah big big difference there is a big difference and I know the the Bodo told me uh the Scottish are working very hard uh to um not uh um not refurbish yeah I know I know they’re testing the blood over testing the blood on the captured animals yeah yeah for the percentage want to to uh Set uh new wild cats it’s European trouble European trouble and uh we are working hard to get the the population uh natural yes they’re doing a lot of captive breeding with the with the ones that are captive breeding yeah there you go my friend right uh with the ones that are uh of a very high percentage Yeah of Purity I use the word purity um and also trying to um trying to delete the population of feral house cats and house pets by neutering the ones that they’ve captured yeah I can only talk uh for Germany we have uh 16 to 17 million um house cats in um loose uh wild loose with yeah yeah yeah Barrel is the word we use sometimes yes a pet that’s gone wild yeah millions and millions yeah only here in Germany it’s uh the white for relationship the the wild cat population was five to 7,000 MH not more and there are 16 17 million house cats they are wild yes three and nobody takes care of them and this is a big problem mhm and they’ll breed with the wild cats um they probably don’t penetrate the real deep for us hopefully but you know that if more than I would yeah the wild cats are better fighter than than house cats yes and they are um as you know they live in a strict area they are resident and they will fight for their own area and a normal house cat who comes wild goes into the area of a wild cat no chance okay maybe when there is no um partner in in um when they are running wild me a mating part a mating partner a breeding partner breeding partner yeah maybe then it’s possible that we have a little uh hybridization yes um but hopefully not right other than that they’re Interlopers and would be would be kicked out would’ be killed right yeah okay I guess there’s no um serious study about that of course not right y right so uh the kittens is a was a rare occasion for you but I’m sure there’s a lot more of those going on you don’t catch on camera I mean there has to yeah that was a big surprise for for everyone for everybody um we always guess that there must be a babies from them but we never saw them and hopefully we get this year uh on the same location new uh puppies and um we are waiting for them yes by now they would have had their own maybe I see yeah and there was three does must we must wait right now does the male stay around with them or do you know much about that part yeah yeah yeah there are two residental uh M cats we call it Kudo and uh I named them for myself Zimbo zimba and simbo okay and uh uh the fale was Marie yeah and um in the other Ray area um you remember the the where I took the videos of the herons yes at the biot yeah uh this Fe cat has never show any attraction on the the Valerian stick mhm until April and now she enjoys and she never see them before spell it before right I don’t know no tell it’s funny I I don’t know right part of why you do it you get surprised and it’s interesting it’s keeps you guessing it’s funny and um I ask everyone that I know um studied and biologics and so on why why they always ignore the the Valerian stick and now she’s um she’s enjoying it uh for fun right maybe it’s a different of climate change we don’t know it exactly yeah um we must research and try again next year is was it the same with the same cat in this right wait wait wait right she’s a Fickle female perhaps I shouldn’t say that oh my goodness I’m in trouble now I got us in trouble now uh it’s okay problem now do you have some uh some some college students some some students that come in intern with you or anything like that or mostly alone no no sorry uh we have some uh uh do you call it we call it a a doctor title in in Germany um I think you call it also doctor but not of medicine UHD yes PhD yes yes uh I’m always in contact of them in our organization of p b and WWF or um whoever and um we started last year uh the first time that we say okay we are using the valaran the whole year mostly they they sto using Valerian for the wild cats on uh April or end of May and last year we are using it uh the whole year okay and in the whole year the wild cats uh the male wild cats enjoys it the female enjoys it and the kitten yeah they enjoys it until H May August until and then they have to leave right the mother h can you describe that at all is it a flavor that someone would recognize it’s flowery smell perfume what is it um for the wild cat we know it’s uh like sexual uh taste I see sex yeah uh that is uh we know about the wild cats but um squirrel or Martin or foxes raccoons nobody knows yeah curiosity we start a study next year with the university maybe it’s not in in my uh uh decision right perhaps they’re having the same dilemma in Scotland I’m not sure with uh some cats yeah loving it and some ignoring it I’m GNA be talking with the one of the gentlemen from Aus Field Center this week in Scotland so I’ll find out for you I’ll ask him if they’re having similar problems there with it or not not problems but noticing that some cats love it and some just don’t even go to it interesting yeah Canan so I suppose these wild cats must must live about the same as a house cat or you know 10 or 15 years I’m not really sure you have any idea of that uh the normal life of uh uh H you mean yes lifean uh yeah it’s about five to seven year seven years in in Wilderness uh in an encloser sometimes up to 15 years okay only in EN closes with a vet and five star luxury hotel yes yeah um but in in the Wilds um 5 to S years right maybe nine but U no se seven year must be the the middle yeah yeah they are the the most uh human uh um made uh um dangerous dangerous danger U you know the most killable uh for wild cats and or other animals are uh the treats the highways uh the hunting anything yeah where the human says okay we do this we don’t need a nature yeah we need nature right I know that uh I know if you poison an a rat or whatever something will find it I’ve seen some Eagles over here killed by poison and I know the cats would Ed as well blood thinner the blood thinner poison they put in some rodent that’s uh with the same problem here in Germany U we are killing the mouses for with poison and I made a few calculation only in Germany Germany we shoot nearly 500,000 foxes 500,000 foxes per year for what I don’t know and um I made a calculation of it and um a fox need nearly 15 P mes per day wow to stay alive yeah so how many how many m is that wow yeah right uh 2.5 billion mouses we need to poison because we are shooting the foxes right like you say for what purpose are been shot it’s crazy it’s absolutely crazy I don’t know don’t understand it I know in England the foxes are in the backyard so is it that way in Germany or they’re in the forest also in the backyards yeah yes oh are they there every there too many of them uh not to not too many I know some guys and um I will start it next year with the the Buddy of me to prepare a safe um you know who know H know who know Leons Leon Leon chicken chicken you know chicken sure yeah yeah uh to make an encloser for for the chickens to protect them for uh Martin or foxes or whatever yeah Predators yes yeah it’s it could be so easy right to to protect many other methods of control right yeah there’s no need to shoot or gas or right poison it’s right stupid so you do range across you do range across into Belgium and Netherlands some do you not sorry you you go into Belgium and Netherlands some there wild cats there as well uh yeah there uh sorry no no there there’s a big uh um challenge between the the governments I see I don’t know why oh I couldn’t explain it it’s sad mhm um sometimes um behind the scenes we we discuss about wolves or or Lings or or okay and um sometimes it’s a um communication problem because I don’t speak French I see oh I’m sure a lot of Belgium speak French only and so we have a big problem about the communication yeah yeah but the governments themselves governments themselves are not interested in cooperating only their only you scientists that’s unfortunate yeah everybody wants to make this own study or I see yeah little bit politics yeah sometimes it’s politics yes sorry I understand yeah it gets into everything unfortunately yeah right right so I know you’re going to be able to give me some of your video and things and I have some already I know and um after we’re done talking I’m going to be able to put some of your some of the things we’re talking about a lot of the nighttime camera traps you have and other things will yeah people look at some of that stuff and I appreciate all that and and and you’re you call your site your website in oh sorry can you see it yes oh good I didn’t know you had this capability okay wonderful wonderful sorry this is one one picture I want to show fine maybe you see here the light I do there’s no light it’s only a reflection ah a reflection of a trail cam okay yeah um it’s Alien Invasion Call It Whatever you are uh it must be the reflection of a butterfly I see yeah it’s it’s very funny in my opinion and this is a steak that was a steak you used that was a Valerian steak there yes yes I see okay and I want to oh great okay then I will go whatever you send me I can make a you know video out of it and and I know so Stefan has a lot of material on his Channel Studio it’s called Foton studio with a PF I’ll give you folks um just give me a access to that [Music] um can you see the Martin I’m not right now uh you didn’t T it back over y it’s coming now so these are the the Tey Martin wow yeah they are really young they must be two or three months they enjoying also the Valerian yes yeah and it was so funny to see it and um yeah so and uh wow beautiful so hopefully you there we go you see the white cats there’s our cats Stefan yeah yeah these are the the the puppies oh are they these are the three babies nice yeah recorded last recorded last year yeah and uh it’s very hard uh uh to see but this time I made every 10 cm must be 3 in or so I don’t know okay uh set a small marker mhm um that we can maybe say uh the animals are in the height 20 cm or 30 cm and um this was last year the one of the funniest uh look at them and and the happiest movie I ever made now now I want to I want to mention to everybody the stripe down the back that continues onto the tail this is one of the this is one of the one of the ah yeah qualities qualities you look for yeah right not only there also the the um the stripes there the Rings the rings on the tail the rings on on the tail yeah tail that was it uh okay we’re doing good yeah so the black comes down the black comes down the spine and then over down the tail yeah yeah yeah touches the tail then turns to rings I think that’s one of the qualities they look for in the Purity yeah I think we’re going to run out of time soon here uh we’ve got we’ve got four minutes left four minutes left okay yeah this has been very enjoyable I want to back want to show you I want to have you back again ah a Peery a pig a pig with enjoys also um is that right it’s only it’s fun only and just um the raccoon ah on the right yeah he loves it was last year in August right and uh yeah so the the the smell of an animal there before the other one doesn’t repel the next one yeah necessarily was so funny it was so interesting to look you see the the the animals in the night um look at him that’s funny he’s rubbing tough his head on it yeah yeah yeah yeah and uh one hour later the the wild cat came and wraps on the same uh place it’s so funny yeah here you can see uh the markers in know in order to in order to measure the animal yeah I see excellent only yeah I didn’t see them but I know what you mean I think something in the something in the photograph something in the video so can gauge their length and breadth that’s nice yeah yeah yeah wonderful idea and um yeah it looks like they’re literally making love to the steak which is what you said was a sexual attraction it was a a small B we call it B uh mini River yes yeah uh the wild cats always uh do anything to get no wet uh Paws there are small rocks inside this this uh water yep I call it a brook a brook I call it a brook okay uh and every animal who uses this area also walks on the the the Brooks and and say okay no wet paw paws at all uh it’s so funny I heard you me I know you mentioned to me about the wet paws and I didn’t I thought that was a myth but I guess you know you know wow they won’t do it absolutely will not get their feet wet yeah no yeah I saw it go up in back there yeah it’s so funny right when where they go in the rain yeah typical Cat come here you got him there who have you got there oh yeah typical cat here he is one of my M cats I own to and uh what you see this his nose is uh black yes and uh the wild cats have always um a natural nose Okay no Okay noral color yeah I would maybe calls have always uh sometimes different colors of the nose okay yeah I I might call it pink or flesh color flesh color yeah sometimes it’s so so flesh color yeah hello my friends Stefan and I had such a great time talking about this remarkable animal the European wild cat that we ran out of time I hope you enjoyed this I’m planning much more wild cat content in the future on the touchot channel my very good friend B schmidtz is the European chairman of Clan mcferson his group of mcferson associated families Schmitz and Schmidt in the German Federated state of North Ry Walia work very hard in support of the European Wildcat counterpart to the proud symbol of mcferson in the entire Clan hattan [Music] Confederation from the forest where these cats live to the School classrooms and Festival Pavilions Bodo schmidtz dear schmidtz Michael wenka and many others are making a difference acting as true Wildcat ambassadors find them on Facebook and lend them your support thank you my friends touch notot for