Scottish wildcat kittens to be released into the Cairngorms in 2023
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Sponsors are being sought to help with funding of the Scottish Wildcat conservation release centre ahead of it hosting its first breeding season.
Saving Wildcats, a European partnership project led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, runs the facility at the Highland Wildlife Park by Kincraig.
As well as supporting the conservation of Britain’s rarest and most threatened mammal, sponsors will receive exclusive updates about their wildcat as they become parents.
It is hoped kittens born this year will be released into carefully selected sites in the Cairngorms in 2023.
David Barclay, Saving Wildcats conservation manager, said: “Wildcats are Scotland's most iconic animal but also one of our most endangered.
"Once widespread in Scotland, habitat loss, hunting and inter-breeding with domestic cats have all taken their toll, leaving this incredible species on the verge of extinction.
“By sponsoring one of three cats in the breeding centre, confident Droma, nosy little Fruin, or Cranachan, who loves his food, supporters will directly contribute to the future of the Highland tiger and have the chance to watch as their wildcat grows, learns and hopefully becomes a parent.
"These kittens will go on to be among the first released into the wild next year.
“As a sponsor, you’ll be helping to provide expert care, shelter and food for the wildcats today, which will help to restore their numbers in the wild tomorrow.
“Without future releases, the wildcat’s days in Scotland are numbered. The Saving Wildcats partnership project is their last hope.”
Starting from £5 per month, sponsors will help care for the wildcats and prepare their kittens for release into the Scottish wilderness.
Sponsorship includes a pack all about the chosen wildcat, together with lots of regular updates – with a quarterly newsletter and an exclusive sponsor’s Facebook group, with pictures, videos and messages from their keepers
Levels range from £5 to £40 a month
More information about Droma, Cranachan, Fruin and how to sponsor them can be found here .
The Saving Wildcats (#SWAforLIFE) partnership is led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland who own the Highland Wildlife Park.
They are working in collaboration with NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, The Cairngorms National Park Authority, Norden’s Ark and Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio de la Junta de Andalucía.
RZSS/Saving Wildcats
