The Scottish wildcat is functionally extinct in the wild due to hybridisation with feral cats - captive breeding and reintroduction welfare is now central to species survival.
Scottish wildcat conservation involves significant welfare considerations at every stage. Captive breeding requires managing highly stress-sensitive animals in ways that preserve wild behaviour essential for successful reintroduction. Minimal habituation to humans is a welfare challenge - these cats need extensive space and low-disturbance conditions. The reintroduction of conditioned wildcats to Cairngorms and other sites involves the welfare risks of territorial establishment and prey learning. Long-term, successful reintroduction provides the welfare benefit of restored wild lives for a critically endangered species.