PROJECT "SAVING WILDCATS" - PART 2 OF 4

In late May, the “Saving Wildcats” project announced that the first kittens were born at our dedicated conservation breeding-for-release centre. The centre, located at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park, is the first of its kind in the UK and an integral part of our European partnership project, which aims to prevent the extinction of the wildcat in Scotland through breeding and reintroduction.

We were incredibly excited to welcome three litters from mothers Droma (pictured below), Torr, and Caol Ila. Their kittens are likely to be among the first of their kind to be released in Great Britain from 2023 at carefully selected sites in the Cairngorms National Park.

The birth of these kittens represents a significant milestone for the project. As they grow, our experienced team of keepers will help them prepare for a life in the wild – from a distance, of course.

Once the kittens reach the natural age at which they would leave their mother (six to eight months), they will be moved to large enclosures where they will have the opportunity to develop their natural behaviours, such as hunting and stalking skills, ensuring they have the best possible chance of survival when released.

Our keepers keep their distance to ensure the wildcats in our centre do not become accustomed to humans. Nevertheless, they regularly have to maintain the enclosures, monitor the welfare of the wildcats, and most importantly, ensure everyone gets enough food!

To perform these tasks daily, our keepers need sturdy boots. We keep the enclosures in our centre as true to nature as possible, which means wading through marshy ground, climbing over logs, and sometimes even crawling through undergrowth to get their work done. They rely on their Muck Boots to keep their feet dry, and we were thrilled when Muck Boot offered us some of their great products.

Rachel (pictured below) is one of our keepers, and she is delighted to work in her knee-high Muckmaster boots, which she finds incredibly comfortable and robust – they even keep her toes warm when it snows up here in the Highlands!

If you want to learn more about the “Saving Wildcats” project, check out savingwildcats.org.uk, and keep an eye out for our next blog!

You can also sponsor Droma and follow her journey into motherhood at savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor

About the “Saving Wildcats” Project

The “Saving Wildcats” project is led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in collaboration with NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage), Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Norden's Ark, and Junta de Andalucía.
The project is funded by the European Union's LIFE programme and with the generous support of the Garfield Weston Foundation, the National Trust for Scotland, the People's Trust for Endangered Species, and the European Nature Trust.

More about the “Saving Wildcats” project
Part 1

Related Product
Muckmaster Rubber Boots