Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Barcelona Zoo Foundation takes part in the TuróCat project to recover this species, threatened with extinction. Twenty-four individuals have been released into the wild since the programme began in 2018.

Six polecats have been taken to the Raimat Natura space in Lleida, and five have been taken to the Alt Empordà area, which is currently home to the largest community of these animals. In this case, the animals have been fitted with a chip to monitor their movements.

The gradual disappearance of the European polecat, more acute in the last thirty years, is mainly caused by the destruction of its habitats, road kills, the use of poison to control predators, hybrid reproduction with the ferret and the use of pesticides and rodenticides.

The TuróCat project was launched thanks to the support Government of Catalonia and a grant from the Barcelona Zoo Foundation. Various institutions and organisations are involved in the project.

The preservation of native species and dissemination for members of the public to become more aware of local biodiversity are two of the main goals of Barcelona Zoo.