Endangered Wildcats in Scotland
Wildcats once roamed freely across Europe, including Britain, after the last Ice Age, around 9,000 years ago. However, these remarkable creatures are now on the brink of extinction in Scotland due to a sad history of habitat loss, persecution, and, more recently, hybridization with domestic cats.The so-called "Highland Tiger" has reached a point where its population is no longer viable. Without urgent action, wildcats may disappear forever from Scotland.
Saving Wildcats #SWAforLIFE
The Saving Wildcats partnership project has initiated the release of wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park in the northeast of Scotland. The project builds upon the work of Scottish Wildcat Action, which was the first national conservation plan with a vision of restoring wildcats to Scotland.
Following the work carried out during that project, a report published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Cat Specialist Group concluded there is no longer a viable wildcat population living wild in Scotland. The major threat to their survival is hybridization with domestic cats, which means extinction is highly likely without carefully managed wildcat releases.
To address this, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland partnered with NatureScot, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Forestry Land Scotland, Norden’s Ark (Sweden) and Medio Ambiente y Economía Azul de la Junta de Andalucía (Spain) and applied for funding from the EU Life programme.
Inspiration from Iberian Lynx Reintroduction Projects
Junta de Andalucía’s Iberian lynx successful reintroduction projects in Spain and Portugal have been an enormous inspiration and their team of experts have continued to advise Saving Wildcats throughout the course of the project.
Once funding was granted, construction of a large-scale breeding for release conservation centre began in 2020, in a quiet area of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park. The centre has eight breeding enclosures and 20 pre-release enclosures, where the young wildcats are prepared for a challenging life in the wild. The projects aims to restore a healthy, viable population of wildcats to the Cairngorms National Park by breeding wildcats at the centre and releasing them into the Cairngorms Connect landscape, while continuing to mitigate the threats that wildcats continue to face.
Supporting Innate Wildcat Behaviour
Something that has been very clear to the team who care for the wildcats is that their behaviours are innate and, rather than being “trained” for a wild life, simply need to have the opportunities to express those behaviours.
The keepers carefully designed the pre-release enclosures around dense vegetation in the natural landscape, whilst installing plenty of climbing structures and den sites to encourage the behaviours they will require to survive in the wild. Similarly, the team offer food in a variety of ways to encourage successful hunting techniques, for instance, by utilising enrichment devices.
All of the wildcats in the conservation breeding for release centre are carefully monitored by CCTV so that that human interaction is kept a minimum. Using the cameras, the experienced keepers are able to closely observe key behaviours and assess whether or not that individual is suitable for release.
First Time Release of Wildcats in Cairngorms National Park in 2023
In the summer of 2023, the first ever releases of wildcats in the UK were successfully completed by Saving Wildcats. Following a pre-release health check by the project’s experienced veterinary team, the eligible wildcats were fitted with GPS-radio collars and transferred to bespoke soft release enclosures in secret locations across the Cairngorms Connect landscape, within the Cairngorms National Park.
The soft-release approach allowed the wildcats time to acclimatise to their new environment and helped minimise stress. Then, after several days of remote monitoring by the team, the doors to the temporary enclosures were opened and the wildcats took their first tentative steps into the wild.
Over the course of several months, 19 wildcats were released. This marked a monumental milestone for wildcat restoration in Scotland, following years of extensive preparations, which included community consultation, construction of the UK’s first conservation breeding for release centre dedicated to wildcats, multiple prey and habitat surveys, and in-depth behavioural observation and pre-release training, to name a few.
Building on the work of Scottish Wildcat Action, the first national conservation plan for wildcats in Scotland, the releases were a huge step towards saving this species from the brink of extinction.
Involving Local Communities
Prior to the first releases, community surveys were carried out to establish the level of support within the local community. Engagement through an online questionnaire, which was promoted through local events, postal drops and social media, revealed overwhelming support for the restoration of wildcats to the local area.
Following the releases, national and international support for the project continues to grow as awareness increases through media coverage and Saving Wildcats’ own communications. The team continue to have a presence in local schools and at community events within the project area, and regularly host supporters from all over the world at Highland Wildlife Park.
That being said, there have been some local issues with chicken and pheasant predation, which has understandably caused some upset within the project area. Saving Wildcats is in the process of mitigating these issues, for example by trialing chicken coops that offer greater protection from predators and have guidance available on its website, which is also being reviewed. As a trial project, Saving Wildcats continues to learn from its experiences and always encourages feedback from the local community.
Support of the local community is vital to the success of the project and Saving Wildcats is committed to working closely with those living alongside the released wildcats as much as possible.
The Latest Updates
Saving Wildcats has provided a summary “wrap-up” of the projects milestones so far, including the extensive monitoring carried out by the field team, using GPS-radio collars and over 100 trail cameras, and how the released wildcats are faring in the wild. Saving Wildcats also discusses how important it is that it is mitigating the threats faced by the wildcats in the wild, such as persecution and interbreeding with domestic cats. Saving Wildcats also built on that blog with a more recent entry following a documentary that aired in the UK.
Feel Welcome to Sponsor Saving Wildcats
There are many ways to get more involved with wildcat conservation in Scotland, including joining Saving Wildcats’ mailing list to be kept up to date with the project’s progress and sponsoring one of the project’s wildcats. Sponsors will receive a bespoke sponsorship pack and regular updates about their chosen wildcat.
To find out more, visit savingwildcats.org.uk/support and follow the Instagram account @saveourwildcats.
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