Saving Wildcats: Wild kittens born to released females for third year in a row
Posted 8 Jun 2026
Saving Wildcats has announced a third consecutive year of wild births, with several released females confirmed to have given birth to new litters in the Cairngorms National Park this June.
The project, led by wildlife conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), celebrated these new arrivals as a huge accomplishment for wildcat restoration efforts in Scotland. This news follows breeding successes in 2024 and 2025.
Louise Hughes, Saving Wildcats field operations manager, said: “There is so much anticipation when you first suspect there have been kitten births. It is a truly exciting event and seeing kittens on trail cameras really lifts the whole team and spreads a genuine buzz throughout the many communities across Scotland that support wildcat restoration.”
The team suspected that multiple female wildcats had given birth after changes in behaviour were spotted by project officers monitoring their GPS-radio collar data. These indicative behaviours included frequent returns to a single location. After setting out trail cameras, they were rewarded with visual confirmation on Tuesday 2 June. Images showed a released female carrying kittens along a path. Female wildcats often relocate their kittens to more suitable den sites.
It is not currently known if other females have given birth, or how many kittens are in each litter. Efforts to discover this are ongoing, including close tracking of other wildcat GPS-radio collars and trail camera monitoring.
Roo Campbell, NatureScot Mammal Specialist said: “This increase in the wild population is one of the most encouraging signs a reintroduction project can have. It shows that the wildcats that have been released are adapting to the wild, surviving, finding mates and reproducing without human support.”
Though the confirmation of successful breeding is reassuring, the wildcat population remains small and vulnerable. Efforts to bolster the population will continue, with more animals due to be released this summer. These newly released individuals will ensure the population’s genetic diversity and ability to cope with future challenges, including wildfires, bad weather and disease.
Saving Wildcats is keen to remind the public that wildcats are protected by law. People should not actively seek them out. If a wildcat is encountered, individuals should avoid disturbing them and quietly leave the area.
Suspected sightings of wildcats in the project area of Badenoch and Strathspey are welcomed and can be reported to wildcats@rzss.org.uk.
Saving Wildcats is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.
Notes to Editors
Hi-res images and camera trap footage available at https://we.tl/t-QMLnSShPnuaH5VEk
Notes to editor:
- Since 2023, Saving Wildcats has released 46 wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park in an effort to save the species from extinction in Scotland - Wildcat reintroduction project hailed as big success
- Normally wildcats are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. This pattern often shifts when females are raising young and their daytime activity increases, making them more likely to be seen out and about with their kittens
- Prior to release, wildcats are fitted with a GPS-radio collar to allow monitoring. They detail movement via GPS and activity data via an accelerometer. The collar’s battery last for between six and nine months. The animals are opportunistically trapped, anesthetised and their health checked by the project. During this time, some collars are replaced. Other wildcats have their collars removed while others lose them in the wild
About Saving Wildcats (#SWAforLIFE)
- Saving Wildcats is a partnership project led by RZSS in collaboration with NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Nordens Ark and Junta de Andalucía. Releases are being conducted with the support of Cairngorms Connect. Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return work to mitigate hybridisation (interbreeding) and disease transfer is conducted together with Cats Protection. Work to move towards a fair coexistence between wildcats and people is conducted alongside the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). The project is seeking to build strong collaborations with the farming sector together with Agroecosystems Ltd. Together, the partnership is working to prevent the extinction of Scotland’s wildcats by breeding and releasing them into the wild, while tackling threats such as hybridisation with domestic cats.
- The project is supported by the LIFE Programme of the European Union, the Scottish Government, the Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot, Garfield Weston Foundation, the National Trust for Scotland, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, The European Nature Trust, players of Postcode Lottery, Rewilding Europe’s European Wildlife Comeback Fund and many generous others.
Partner information
- The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity which owns Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park. We safeguard threatened species from extinction: rzss.org.uk
- NatureScot is Scotland's nature agency. Responding to the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, we work to protect and restore nature by inspiring everyone to value our natural world. Our goal is a nature-rich, net-zero future for Scotland. For more information, visit our website: nature.scot
- Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is the Scottish Government agency responsible for sustainably managing Scotland’s national forests and land to make positive contributions to the economy, environment and people of Scotland: forestryandland.gov.scot
- The Cairngorms National Park Authority was set up to ensure that the unique aspects of the Cairngorms – both the natural environment and the local communities – are cared for, sustained and enhanced for current and future generations to enjoy. The Cairngorms National Park Authority provides leadership to all those involved in the Cairngorms and works in partnership with a range of communities, businesses, non-government organisations and public sector partners to deliver practical solutions on the ground: cairngorms.co.uk
- Nordens Ark, based in Sweden, works to ensure endangered animals have a future: en.nordensark.se/
- Consejería de Sostenibilidad, Medio Ambiente y Economía Azul de la Junta de Andalucía, based in Spain, leads Europe’s most successful carnivore reintroduction of Iberian Lynx: juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/site/portalweb/
- Cairngorms Connect is a partnership of neighbouring land managers (Wildland Limited, Forestry and Land Scotland, RSPB Scotland and NatureScot) working towards a 200-year vision to enhance habitat, species and ecological process across a vast 600 square kilometre area within the Cairngorms National Park. It is the largest habitat restoration project in the UK: cairngormsconnect.co.uk
- Cats Protection is the UK's leading cat welfare charity. It helps an average of 156,000 cats and kittens a year through its national network which includes around 182 volunteer teams and 31 centres: cats.org.uk
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is a leading UK charity conducting conservation science to enhance the British countryside for public benefit. For over 90 years it has been researching and developing game and wildlife management techniques. GWCT advisors use research to provide training and advice to farmers and land managers on how best to improve the biodiversity of the countryside: gwct.org.uk/
- Agroecosystems Ltd offers independent agricultural and environmental support for farms, crofts and estates with a strong understanding of farm business and practical management: agroecosystems.co.uk/
