The urbanisation process fragments forest remnants and exposes them to multiple anthropogenic pressures, yet some urban woodlands can still function as important refuges for mammals. This study presents an inventory of mammals in Kabaty Forest, a 1,000 ha forest complex in southern Warsaw. The area, protected as a nature reserve since 1980 but increasingly isolated by surrounding development, is intensively used for recreation. Between 2012 and 2025 (with historical and published records added), we applied a broad set of methods, including direct and nocturnal observations, camera trapping, winter snow tracking, systematic den searches, small−mammal/red squirrel live trapping, analysis of owl pellets/fox scats, bat netting/detector surveys, and municipal wildlife incident data. Altogether, we confirmed the presence of 40 mammal species, representing six orders: Eulipotyphla (4 species), Chiroptera (10 species), Lagomorpha (2 species), Rodentia (13 species), Carnivora (8 species), and Cetartiodactyla (3 species). Among ungulates, camera traps revealed a strong dominance of wild boar and roe deer. Moose was shown to have started recolonizing the area. Pellet analysis and live−trapping data revealed that, despite isolation, the small−mammal community still resembled that of non−urban forests, with forest species prevailing and open−habitat or synanthropic rodents occurring only marginally. Compared with other Warsaw reserves, Kabaty Forest harbours one of the richest urban mammal communities, approaching that of much larger peri−urban areas. However, the progression of isolation, high visitor loads, and the free−ranging dogs pose growing risks. Maintaining connectivity to surrounding green areas, enforcing visitor regulations, and continuing long−term monitoring are essential to preserve this unusually diverse mammal community within a rapidly urbanising metropolis.
Krauze-Gryz et al. (Wed,) studied this question.