Latest news with #SavingWildcats
Edinburgh Reporter
11-08-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
Zoo says their wildcat scheme is working
Four wildcats released into the wild as part of Scotland's pioneering scheme to save the species are known to have died since the programme was launched. The captive-bred wildcats, which were all female, died from a range of causes including an infection, starvation and being struck by a vehicle after being released into the wild. In the most recent case, the only death recorded so far in 2025, a wildcat had to be put to sleep after suffering 'severe injuries from an unknown cause'. One young kitten born in the wild as part of the programme is also known to have been killed last year, understood to have been as a result of being struck by a vehicle on a road. The Saving Wildcats project, led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) which also runs Edinburgh Zoo, was set up after a report in 2018 found that Scotland's wildcat population was 'functionally extinct'. The so-called 'Highland tigers' were bred at the charity's Highland Wildlife Park and the first generation was released into the Cairngorms National Park in summer 2023 under licence from NatureScot. A total of 19 captive bred wildcats were released in the first year followed by a further nine last year, while this year's batch of releases is currently underway at secret locations. Despite the recorded deaths, the scheme has exceeded expectations as it was anticipated the animals may have a 50 per cent mortality rate. And, at least nine of the released females have gone on to have kittens. A spokesperson said: 'We are aware of one mortality this year and four mortalities of released wildcats in total. 'One occurred in 2023 to a released female. Sadly, an additional two individuals died shortly after their release in 2024. 'A further mortality occurred in 2025 to another female wildcat who was found to have sustained severe injuries from an unknown cause. Due to the severity of these injuries, the decision was made to euthanise her. 'As the kittens born in the wild are not fitted with GPS-radio collars due to the fact that they are still growing, we have not been able to continually follow their progress. 'The team were made aware of one young kitten that was assumed to have died as a result of a road traffic accident in 2024. 'Although unfortunate, the project has experienced a lower number of mortalities than would be expected given the experience of similar projects internationally.' Last year, seven females released by Saving Wildcats, named Arwen, Clawra, Haggis, Lorne, Mareel, Neep and Tattie, are known to have produced 'wild-born kittens'. So far this year, Arwen, Mareel and Tattie have had kittens for the second year in a row while two others known as Sully and Callie became first time mothers. Several of the other females have been exhibiting behaviour that could indicate that they too have had kittens not yet recorded. The Saving Wildcats team are studying camera-trap footage, data from GPS-radio collars and public sightings for clues to further births. The spokesperson added: 'The birth of kittens in the wild constitutes a major milestone for wildcat recovery in Scotland. 'These births demonstrate that the process of breeding wildcats for release into the wild is working, as those released animals have learned to hunt and survive, and now reproduce in their first breeding season, a clear indication that they are doing well.' Photo courtesy of RZSS Like this: Like Related
The Guardian
07-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Country diary: The Highland tiger who came to me
The nights are getting lighter, but it still feels like a winter sky, with a spectacular array of stars and planets as well as the Milky Way. From early morning, the woods are full of the sounds of spring: thrushes and robins sing on repeat and, among the calls of great and blue tits, I hear the tinkle of a crested tit in the still bare birches dotted among the Scots pines. I'm off to check my nature cameras, and while in the past they've caught some lovely things – pine martens scampering across the forest floor, a badger lumbering past, a fox and a succession of red deer, including one antlered stag in front of a granny pine – I've been hoping for a sight of the elusive wildcat. One evening, driving slowly down the track in the late gloaming, I caught a pair of bright eyes in my headlights. The eyes were too low and close together for the small family of dexter cattle that roam the field. Whatever it was stared me out until I got closer, and then with a leisurely, confident saunter, a 'Highland tiger' crossed and disappeared into a tangle of juniper. It was larger than a domestic cat, with tabby markings, but what struck me most was its tail – thick, black rings around it and a black tip. I remember reading a description of it being like a sausage, 'the same at the end as at the top'. Wildcats are critically endangered. Persecution, loss of habitat and a propensity to breed with domestic cats have all contributed to a huge decline in numbers, but hope is at hand with Saving Wildcats. This incredible project breeds and releases wildcats back into the wild, ensuring before release that the animals are socially and behaviourally competent and physically able to cope, with careful monitoring of the creatures afterwards. I wonder if the wildcat I saw was one of theirs. I'll keep my cameras out in hope, but I do love the fact that nature just does its thing, and how I first encountered a closeup sighting of this rare beast from behind a windscreen. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
