08:27, 24 June 2024
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
Wildcat kittens have been born outside captivity in a ‘major milestone’ for the species.
The Guardian reports, thanks to exclusive footage from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), that two wildcat kittens can be seen playing with their mother in the grass of the Cairngorms national park.
These are thought to be the first wildcat kittens born as the result of a pilot project which saw 19 wildcats released across the Cairngorms. The wildcats were originally bred at Highland Wildlife Park, near Kingussie, in a partnership between Saving Wildcats and RZSS.
Dr Keri Langridge, the Saving Wildcats field manager, told the Guardian: “All of them look like wildcat kittens, and the two females overlapped very heavily with one of the released males during breeding season so it is a high probability.”
She added: “We didn’t dare to dream that we would have wildcat kittens in the first year of releases … seeing those kittens on the video was the most exciting moment of the project so far.”
A landmark study in 2019 found that wildcats were close to being ‘functionally extinct’ which, in the case of the wildcats, could mean the reduced population no longer plays a significant role in the ecosystem or that the population is no longer viable.
Since then, efforts have been made to help this amazing species to get back to its former glory - and it looks as though it is already paying off!
To support other wildcats like this adorable pair, you can visit the Saving Wildcats website and help out through donations or citizen science.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Wildlife Justice Commission. This international foundation works to end animal trafficking around the globe. Find out more here.
Born Free. This is a wildlife conservation charity that’s passionate about wild animal welfare and Compassionate Conservation. Find out more here.
The Orangutan Project. This is a project run by two non-profits with one mission: to ensure the survival of all orangutan species in their natural habitat and promote the welfare of all orangutans. Support them here.
