Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
EmailIphone Application    Posted: 16th February 2024
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.
Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Wildcat project prepares for breeding season
Saving Wildcats released 19 wildcats into the wild last year.
New pairs have been created to increase genetic diversity.

Sixteen wildcats have been paired up at a Scottish Zoo as the Saving Wildcats conservation project prepares for its third breeding season.

If all goes to plan, it is hoped the wildcats born this year will be released into the wild next summer to help boost the population of the critically endangered species.

The team at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS’s) Highland Wildlife Park have put together two new breeding pairs. They hope that the move will help increase the genetic diversity of the wild population as it grows.

The wildcats born at the zoo last year are currently in pre-release enclosures which are designed to support their development and prepare them for release into the wild. The project plans to release them in the Cairngorms National Park this summer. In June 2023, 19 were released.

The only native cat still living in the wild in Britain, the wild population has been at risk from interbreeding with feral cats in recent decades. Surveys conducted between 2010 and 2013 estimated that there were between 115 and 314 individuals left.

Estelle Morgan, Saving Wildcats senior keeper, said: “Managing the wildcats from their birth until their eventual release into the wild is incredibly rewarding. We get to see the wildcats grow and help them prepare for the challenges of life in the wild, using tools which minimise disturbance, to give them the best possible chances of survival.” 

David Barclay, Saving Wildcats conservation manager, added: “The birth of kittens in the centre highlights another critical milestone for our expert keeper team whilst demonstrating how integral zoos are in restoring many threatened species. Without a carefully managed captive breeding population, we would not have been able to conduct the first ever releases of wildcats into Britain last year.”

Led by the RZSS, the Saving Wildcats project is carried out in collaboration with NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, The Cairngorms National Park Authority, Norden’s  Ark, Consejería de Sostenibilidad, and Medio Ambiente y Economía Azul de la Junta de Andalucía, with releases conducted in collaboration with Cairngorms Connect.

Image © Shutterstock

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.