Scotland’s wildcats are making a remarkable return to the Highlands, with 18 more released into the Cairngorms National Park this year — and, for the first time, wild-born kittens now roaming the landscape.
Led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the Saving Wildcats partnership has now released 46 animals since the first reintroduction efforts began in 2023.
The species was declared functionally extinct in Britain in 2019, after decades of decline caused by habitat loss, interbreeding with feral cats, and persecution.
But thanks to this carefully managed project, some of the reintroduced females have now successfully raised litters of kittens in the wild during the springs and summers of 2024 and 2025, a major milestone for one of the UK’s most threatened mammals.
“Just a few years ago, the species was teetering on the edge of extinction in Scotland,” said Dr Helen Senn, Saving Wildcats project lead at RZSS.
“Now we’re watching them not only survive but start to raise their own kittens in the wild.
“That gives us real hope for the future.”
The wildcats are bred and prepared for release at the dedicated Conservation Breeding for Release Centre, a secure area within the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie.
While the early signs are promising, Dr Senn warned that the recovery is still fragile and vulnerable to threats like road deaths, extreme weather, and hybridisation with feral domestic cats.
“To give wildcats a fighting chance, we must keep breeding and releasing more animals into the wild and continue to look after the population already present in the landscape,” she said.
The project, which previously received major support from the EU LIFE Programme, is now seeking additional funding following Brexit to sustain its long-term goals.
“It takes huge amounts of time, expertise and resources to bring a species back from the brink,” said Dr Senn.
“We are committed to looking after this newly established population and maintaining the connections with the local community that we have built up during the project.
“We would love to hear from anyone keen to support wildcat restoration.”
The Saving Wildcats partnership includes NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, and international partners from Sweden and Spain.
Work to reduce the risk of interbreeding is being supported by Cats Protection.
To raise awareness and support, a new film, Clinging by a Claw has been released, narrated by actor Sam Heughan and produced by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture with support from The European Nature Trust.
