Wildcats at Highland Wildlife Park paired up in time for Valentine's Day
It's hoped kittens born at the Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre could be released into the wild next year.
Last updated 14th Feb 2022
Love is in the air at the Highland Wildlife Park as 16 wildcats are being paired up for their first ever breeding season.
It's hoped kittens born at the Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre could be released into the wild next year.
Kittens could be expected at the park as early as spring.
The breeding programme is a European partnership project, working to restore Scotland’s critically endangered wildcat population by breeding and releasing them into the wild
David Barclay, Saving Wildcats conservation manager, said: “It is fantastic to be getting ready for our first breeding season in the centre, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
"Several cats are now paired and settled and we’re already seeing really encouraging mating behaviours. Our expert keepers have done an amazing job at preparing our enclosures and introducing the cats, giving them the best chance at breeding success.
“Wildcats are Scotland's most iconic animal but also one of our most endangered. Without future releases, the wildcat’s days in Scotland are numbered.
"Once widespread in Britain, habitat loss, hunting and inter-breeding with domestic cats have all taken their toll, leaving this incredible species on the verge of extinction. We are hopeful that kittens born around April to May will be among the first released into carefully selected locations in the Cairngorms.
"The Saving Wildcats partnership project is the last hope for this species in Scotland.”"
Last month, Saving Wildcats launched its very first sponsorship programme.
Starting from £5 per month, sponsors will help care for wildcats in the centre and prepare their kittens for release into the Scottish wilderness.
More information about Droma, Cranachan, Fruin, the three cats which can be sponsored can be found atsavingwildcats.org.uk/sponsorwildcats.
Saving Wildcats (#SWAforLIFE) is led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland in collaboration with NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, The Cairngorms National Park Authority, Norden’s Ark and Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio de la Junta de Andalucía.
The six-year project is supported by £3.2 million of EU funding and co-funded by Scotland’s nature agency NatureScot, the Scottish Government’s zoo and aquarium conservation fund and a wide variety of other partners.