European wildcat

The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is one of Britain’s rarest and most threatened mammals. At RZSS we lead the Saving Wildcats partnership, which aims to prevent the extinction of the Highland tiger by breeding and releasing them into the wild.

RZSS has been involved with wildcat conservation for over 10 years and continues to play a critical role in long-term recovery efforts. Wildcats are the last remaining native cat species in Britain and have long been part of our cultural heritage in Scotland, with many clan crests featuring this iconic felid.

Highland Wildlife Park is home to the off-show Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre which aims to secure the future of wildcats through releases of captive-bred individuals in the Cairngorms National Park. Once widespread, the species is now on the brink of extinction in Scotland due to habitat loss, persecution and interbreeding with domestic cats. Without urgent action, wildcats will be lost forever from our shores.

To help save the wildcat in Scotland we are working with local communities to understand how people can benefit from the presence of wildcats, continuing to remove the threats facing wildcats in the Highlands, and growing the population of wildcats through the releases of individuals into the wild.  

In June 2023 we released 19 wildcats from our breeding programme into the Cairngorms Connect area, this was the first release of its kind for Britain. We are monitoring these cats via GPS collars to track their progress in the wild while continuing to breed and rear a second group of cats for release.