[Animals] Scottish wildcats to be released in Cairngorms

[Mr.Hacker]

A licence has been approved for the release of captive-bred Scottish wildcats in the UK's largest national park. The first in a series of trial releases at undisclosed locations in the Cairngorms National Park is planned for June. The Saving Wildcats project said it would be the first conservation translocation of wildcats in Britain. Eventually, as many as 20 wildcats could be released annually. There are wildcats in the wild in the Cairngorms, but the po[CENSORED]tion is under threat. Hope new wildcat kittens could help save species First wildcat arrives at 'breed and release' site According to research, the wild cat is on the brink of extinction. Breeding with feral domestic cats, disease and habitat loss have been blamed for reducing numbers. Scotland's nature agency, NatureScot, approved the licence for this summer's release. It assessed Saving Wildcats' application in line with the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations. The process considers a range of issues including animal welfare, site suitability and potential impacts on neighbouring and community interests.