Wild Cats Uk Scotland
They are experts at keeping out of the way of humans.
Wild cats uk scotland. Our small and dedicated team is. Wildcats are in trouble. Functionally extinct For the past few years conservationists have been focusing on five.
But recent studies suggest there are too few genuine wildcats left in the wild for the species to. Now the greatest threat to the Scottish wildcat is hybridisation. The first of its kind in the UK the centre will establish founder populations of wildcats and prepare them for life in the wild.
The Scottish wildcat is the only native member of the cat family still found in the wild in Britain. This species is native to Europe and the Caucasus and in Britain is confined to Scotland north of Glasgow and Edinburgh. No one knows exactly how many of these shy secretive creatures roam the Scottish Highlands although some estimate there could be fewer than 50 but certainly not more than a few hundred.
These beautiful creatures are critically endangered and are at risk of cross-breeding with domestic felines. These have been domesticated for some time and are brought these as pets to Britain. 750 could feed a wildcat for a week.
Wildcat Haven is a grass roots community driven conservation project. Thousands of years after the European wildcat comes to Britain Near Eastern cats arrive. 350 could feed a wildcat for an entire year in the new centre.
Wildcats are truly wild cats and are perhaps the most difficult animals to see in the wild in Scotland. The Scottish wildcat evolved from a population of European wildcats which became isolated by the English Channel over 9000 years ago. The wildcat is one of the Cairngorms National Parks and Scotlands most iconic and evocative mammals and yet it may be on the brink of extinctionthe main threats to the future survival of the species in Scotland were.