It’s a tough old world out there
Bill Gibb learns about a breeding and release programme helping the conservation of Scottish wildcats.
THEY once roamed the countryside in abundance, more than holding their own in the natural world.
But after a disastrous decline, wildcats faced the most perilous of futures in Scotland with their very existence in doubt.
Now, though, there is more than a glimmer of light breaking through the dark clouds.
A pioneering conservation breeding and release programme is helping these glorious creatures take the first tentative steps to once more establishing themselves in our wilderness.
It was recently announced that 16 wildcats have been paired up for the first ever breeding season in the Saving Wildcats conservation “breeding for release” centre.
It’s located at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie.
Kittens from this season will be among the first to be released back into the wild next year.
The project has welcomed eight kittens in three litters so far, and the Saving Wildcats team is hopeful for more births.
Dr Helen Senn, head of the RZSS conservation and science department, has revealed the remarkable work that goes into a successful release and how a multi-country effort is giving this fascinating species a chance of survival.
“Wildcats are one of our biggest conservation projects as they are on the brink of extinction in Scotland,” Helen explains.
“We’re the last stronghold for them in Britain. We’ve had a long-term captive breeding programme at the RZSS and we’re doing all we can to help.
“Some of the pictures you see make them look quite tame, but they’re really quite feisty.
“They’re a different species from a pet cat, and definitely don’t act like one, so you have to manage them as you would a bigger cat like a tiger.”
Wildcats have been here for thousands of years, and they were in a healthy state until hunting and habitat loss took a joint toll.
After a slight increase in the early part of the 20th century, their numbers crashed, and urgent help is needed to stop them disappearing altogether.
The RZSS has been a part of a number of wildcat conservation projects over the years.
The latest initiative came after an independent review by international experts recommended breeding and releasing cats into the wild to boost survival chances.
Breeding enclosures were built in an off-show part of the Highland Wildlife Park.
“We are breeding the cats with the absolute minimum amount of intervention and will move their offspring into a bigger pre-release enclosure when they are ready,” Helen says.
“That’s where they undergo a training programme to make them more adapted to life in the wild.
“Things like randomised feeding ensure they don’t get used to having something to eat at set times.
“It’s a tough old world out there, and while our specially selected release sites will have as few threats to them as possible, all cats will need to be good hunters.
“A big part of it is making sure they don’t associate food, safety or comfort with humans.
“The beauty of the Highland Wildlife Park is it
has the habitat and climate of the release site, so they’re used to the harsh environment around them.”
The plan is to release 60 cats as part of the longterm project, and GPS collars will enable the team to keep an eye on their progress.
“Ultimately, we want to establish a healthy population of wildcats, but there is so much we don’t know,” Helen admits.
“Everything they do will be monitored by our field team to help us understand the challenges they face and improve our strategy.
“Working with European partners is very helpful, and we’ve been learning a lot from a very successful recovery project for the Iberian lynx.
“There are a lot of people working very hard on giving wildcats a healthy future.” ■