The lottery fund in September donated money for a new conservation programme to aid with the neutering of feral cats and reducing risks to the rare breed. There has also become a captive breeding programme set up in which the first kittens have been born at Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig. These are the first 2 individuals to be born since the Wildcat Conservation Action Plan was created and it is thought that the Highland Wildlife Park will be one of the main breeding centers to breed wildcats in Scotland with the hope that, individuals will be released into the wild if the breeding programme is successful.
The Action Plan consists of 3 big ideas: Identify 5 areas where wildcats can be conserved, reduce risks in those 5 protected areas and then the captive breeding programme along with ecological research to aid the knowledge of the cats. This hopeful action plan is aiming to of halted decline within 6 years giving the Scottish Wildcat a fighting chance against extinction.
To read more about the kittens, the Action Plan and to learn more about the species see the links below
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