A wildlife park in Scotland has recently welcomed four critically endangered wildcat kittens into the world, giving new hope to the species, which is one of Europe’s most elusive and endangered mammals.
Visitors at the Highland Wildlife Park can now have the opportunity to see the four playful kittens, named Strom, Eilein, Druim, and Vaara, after wildlife conservation charity Royal Zoological Society of Scotland reopened wildcat viewing areas at the attraction last week. To help keep the animals and others safe, visitors will be encouraged to wear masks.
Scottish wildcats are a European protected species that has been pushed to the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and breeding with feral domestic cats. It is currently the only native member of the cat family still found in the wild in the UK.
The endangered kittens, one male, and three females, were born during the lockdown and are part of a conservation project called Saving Wildcats, which seeks to conserve the species by breeding and releasing them back into the wild.
“By bringing together the expertise and skills of national and international organizations, the Saving Wildcats project can secure a future for the Highland tiger by breeding and releasing wildcats into the wild, so every birth is a potential lifeline for the species,” said David Barclay, conservation manager at Saving Wildcats.
