The Scottish Government have handed the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) a £400,000 grant to help prevent the extinction of “critically endangered” wildcats.
Conservation efforts led by the wildlife conservation charity will be based at the Highland Wildlife Park, where cats will breed and then be released back into the wild.
Wildlife experts are hopeful the first wildcats can be released in 2023, with potential locations being explored in the Cairngorms.
It comes after a report published in 2019 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Cat Specialist Group concluded there is no longer a viable wildcat population living wild in Scotland.
Funding for the project has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the closures of Highland Wildlife Park and Edinburgh Zoo, costing RZSS over £1.5 million.
RZSS has also received an additional £278,000 from the Scottish Government’s zoo and aquarium conservation fund to ensure efforts can continue to protect other threatened native species, including the pine hoverfly, pond mud snail and flapper skate.
Helen Senn, head of conservation and science programmes at RZSS, said: “Every visit to Highland Wildlife Park and Edinburgh Zoo supports our work to protect threatened species around the world, including on our doorstep in the Cairngorms National Park.
“The past year has been an incredibly difficult time for our charity, with the closure of our parks for a total of five months cutting off our main source of income.
“While we still face significant financial pressures, this £678,000 Scottish Government funding to help protect native species and support our work with partners is very welcome.”
Saving Wildcats is a partnership between RZSS, NatureScot, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Forestry and Land Scotland, as well as European partners Norden’s Ark from Sweden and Spain’s Junta De Andalucía, which have led the successful recovery of the Iberian lynx.
The six-year project is supported by £3.2 million of EU funding. It is also co-funded by Scotland’s nature agency NatureScot and a wide variety of partners.
Ms Senn added: “Releasing carnivores to the wild is incredibly complex but we are planning to release the first wildcats in 2023, which will be very exciting.”
Jo Judge, chief executive of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums added: “The proposed reintroductions are the culmination of decades of work conserving this species, including breeding, education and scientific work with many zoos and other partners working together.
“The iconic Scottish wildcat is on the very brink of extinction, but with support, we can avoid a future without wildcats.”
Wildcat supporters can find out more about Saving Wildcats and donate to help save the species at savingwildcats.org.uk