Wildlife

Scottish Wildcat: On the Brink of Extinction

The Scottish wildcat is one of the most endangered mammals in Europe with fewer than 300 pure individuals remaining.

Key Facts

Fewer than 300 genetically pure wildcats may remain in Scotland
Hybridisation with domestic cats is the primary threat to the species
Scottish wildcats require large territories of rough moorland and woodland edge
They are strictly nocturnal and rarely seen by humans in the wild
Captive breeding programmes hold around 100 individuals as an insurance population

Welfare Considerations

Wild Scottish wildcats suffer from snares set for other species, road casualties, and disease from contact with domestic cats including feline enteritis. Hybridisation with feral cats means many animals live a mixed domestic-wild existence that may compromise welfare. Captive individuals can suffer from stress in enclosures that do not meet their territorial requirements.

What You Can Do

Support Saving Wildcats reintroduction programme in the Cairngorms
Neuter pet cats especially in wildcat stronghold areas in the Scottish Highlands
Support trap-neuter-return programmes for feral cats near wildcat habitat
Donate to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland wildcat breeding programme
Report suspected wildcat sightings to Scottish Wildcat Action for population monitoring