Minister gives seal of approval for Scottish Wildcat Action project

24/08/2016 in Highland Wildlife Park

Roseanna Cunningham MSP – Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform – lent her support to the Scottish Wildcat Action project on a visit to RZSS Highland Wildlife Park today, Wednesday 24 August.

The visit marked a double celebration for the six-year partnership project. The Cabinet Secretary formally opened RZSS’s conservation breeding enclosures for the critically endangered Scottish wildcat, and heard more about results from the largest survey on the species ever conducted.

Scottish Wildcat Action is the first national project to save the highly endangered Scottish wildcat from extinction. The project brings together more than 20 organisations in the conservation, scientific and land management communities, and is supported by Scottish Government and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

During her visit, Ms Cunningham was given a behind the scenes tour of the off-show conservation breeding enclosures at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park, where a combination of wildcats born in captivity and a select number of wild-caught cats are being introduced into large, naturalistic enclosures with the hope they will breed. The Cabinet Secretary also met the latest litter of wildcat kittens born at the Park, which will play a vital role in helping conserve this magnificent native species.

Speaking during her visit, Ms Cunningham said: “It is fantastic to see so many organisations coming together to save the iconic Scottish wildcat. Through a combination of direct action in six priority areas, RZSS’s pioneering conservation breeding programme, and ongoing surveying and monitoring, Scottish Wildcat Action represents the best chance the wildcat has of surviving in the long term.”

 

 

Barbara Smith, Acting CEO of conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said: “We are grateful to the Cabinet Secretary and the Scottish Government for their support at this critically important time for the Scottish wildcat. The off-show conservation breeding programme at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park has an essential role to play in ensuring that one of our most endangered mammals has a long-term future in Scotland. We are committed to working closely with our partners in Scottish Wildcat Action to tackle the multiple threats facing the species in the wild.”

Eileen Stuart, Head of Policy and Advice for Scottish Natural Heritage and Chair of Scottish Wildcat Action, said: “The support of Scottish Government will be crucial if we are to succeed in saving the Scottish wildcat. With the formal opening of the conservation breeding enclosures today, and having recently concluded the largest ever survey into the Scottish wildcat, Scottish Wildcat Action is taking the necessary steps to safeguard the species from extinction.”

Fewer than 300 Scottish wildcats are thought to exist in the wild, with the main threats to the species being interbreeding with feral domestic cats, disease and accidental persecution. Scottish Wildcat Action is delivering the first national plan to save the Scottish wildcat: reducing threats in six wildcat priority areas, breeding wildcats for later release and contributing to better understanding through new research.

 

With their big, bushy, black-ringed tail and tenacious behaviour it is no surprise that the Scottish wildcat was used historically in many Highland clan crests. The Scottish wildcat is one of the rarest cat species in the world and is critically endangered in the wild. The long-term future of the Scottish wildcat relies on local people reporting sightings of any cats living in the wild, volunteering and spreading the word about the conservation challenge facing the species.

For more information about Scottish Wildcat Action, visit scottishwildcataction.org  

More information on the Scottish wildcat survey results can be found here: scottishwildcataction.org/latest-news/2016/august/news-scottish-wildcats-are-out-there/