Scottish wildcats (Felis silvestris grampia) are functionally extinct in Scotland, with a reintroduction programme launching in 2023 raising welfare questions about captive animals released to the wild.
Wildcat reintroduction welfare involves balancing pre-release welfare (captive animals with minimal human contact requiring appropriate management while limiting habituation) with post-release welfare (animals facing genuine predation risk, territorial competition and food finding in restored habitat). Animals raised in captivity for reintroduction need enough wildness to survive but enough management access for health monitoring. The welfare of released wildcats depends on reintroduction site quality, post-release monitoring and intervention protocols for animals in difficulty. Conservation reintroduction welfare requires honest assessment of survival probability and willingness to intervene humanely if released animals are suffering without prospect of establishing successfully.