Netf lix? New hit is Highland Tiger telly

WITH their bright eyes and fluffy fur, they are definitely adorable.

But as well as looking cute, these kittens, left, have a crucial role to play in preserving one of Scotland’s most endangered species.

The young wildcats are part of an effort to boost the population of the magnificent felines, also known as the Highland Tiger.

Conservationists from charity Saving Wildcats hope to release them into the wilds of the Cairngorms once they are fully grown – and save the species from extinction. Dr Helen Senn, its head of conservation and science, said: ‘Once a species has gone extinct from the British Isles, they are not going to come back naturally so it’s really important that we try to preserve our native species.’

As part of a bid to raise awareness of the project, a network of cameras is being set up to allow people to keep an eye on the cats as they roam their new habitat.

The kittens can already be monitored through cameras in their enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore, Invernessshire. Saving Wildcats’ conservation manager David Barclay said: ‘Put simply, these kittens are the future of wildcats in Scotland.’

Wildcats have roamed Scotland since the last Ice Age 9,000 years ago. They are recognisable by their mottled fur and fluffy tail, which has a black tip and is marked with rings. Although related to domestic cats, wildcats are more muscular, with longer legs, a stockier build and a flatter, larger head.

Hundreds of years of persecution and loss of habitat mean there are estimated to be fewer than 100 pure-bred wildcats in Britain.

Saving Wildcats has started a breeding programme in the enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park, which is run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

This year it welcomed the arrival of 18 kittens.

It hopes to release them into Cairngorms National Park next year, providing approval is granted from environment quango NatureScot. The animals would be the first wildcats to be released from captivity into the wild in Britain.

Last week the RZSS announced it was spending £164,000 on a ‘CCTV monitoring and surveillance system’, allowing conservationists – and the public – to keep an eye on the wildcats, who will be wearing electronic tracking tags.