Skip to main content

31 August, 2015

‘Wildcat’ at Scottish Parliament for new website launch

Resend with Minister’s quotes

Strict embargo: not for broadcast before Tuesday 1 September 2015 09:00am---

A new Scottish Wildcat Action website was launched today at the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh.

Labour MSP and wildcat champion Rhoda Grant was on hand for the unveiling of www.scottishwildcataction.org with proceedings carefully monitored by ‘William’ the wildcat who was also on hand – or paw – on behalf of Scottish Wildcat Action.

Scottish Wildcat Action, supported by the Scottish Government and Heritage Lottery Fund, is delivering the first national conservation plan to bring back viable populations of Scottish wildcats. The new website has easy-to-use features which encourage people in the Scottish Highlands to report sightings, volunteer with fieldwork, and register their interest to help.

Reacting to the news Dr Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, said: “The Scottish wildcat is one of Scotland’s most endangered mammals and urgent action is needed to ensure they have a future.

“The Scottish Government is therefore committed to wildcat conservation and I am delighted to support the launch of this new website as part of the wider Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan, which was launched by my predecessor, Paul Wheelhouse, in September 2013.”

Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP and Scottish wildcat species champion, said: “The Scottish Wildcat is part of our heritage that we are desperately seeking to protect.

“We have a limited time to stop wildcats from disappearing but we also need to reduce the risks from hybridisation and disease from feral cats in the meantime. The launch of the website today will not only help to identify where our remaining wildcats are but it will also help to glean invaluable information on hybrids and feral cat sightings which will allow for the required action to be taken to reduce the hybrids and combat the transmission of disease.

“The website will offer members of the public the opportunity to be involved in this fantastic project to save this most beautiful of species and will, I am sure, prove to be an invaluable resource in ensuring the wildcat’s survival.”

Dr Roo Campbell, Scottish Wildcat Action Project Manager for the work in wildcat priority areas, said: “Local sightings of all wild-living cats are key in our efforts to save Scottish wildcats and the new website will allow our local communities to report sightings.

“As part of our national work, our team of staff and volunteers will set up more than 400 trail cameras in wildcat priority areas to build up a picture of what’s out there, but public sightings will add valuable intelligence to this standardised monitoring.”

Trail cameras are motion-sensitive field cameras used for monitoring shy species that live in remote places.

Dr Andrew Kitchener, Principal Curator at National Museums Scotland, and partner in the project, said: “The most useful sightings will be those that are followed up with a photograph so we can identify whether it is a wildcat, a domestic cat or a hybrid of the two. There are seven key characteristics we are looking for and each characteristic will be given a score of 1 for domestic cat, 2 for hybrid or 3 for wildcat.”

The website gives users further tips on how to identify a Scottish wildcat, but the general advice is if it looks like a large tabby cat with a thick ringed tail with a black blunt tip, it could be one of few remaining wildcats.

Hybrid and feral cat sightings are also important to the project, which aims to reduce risks of hybridisation and disease transmission through a co-ordinated Trap-Neuter (vaccinate) and Release (TNR) programme in the priority areas.

Numbers of Scottish wildcat are now so low that it is difficult for them to find and mate with other wildcats, so inevitably they have hybrid kittens with unneutered domestic cats.

This inter-breeding is contributing to the attrition of Scottish wildcats as a distinctive native species. The presence of unvaccinated feral cats, often in poor condition, can also lead to diseases, such as feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), being passed on to wildcats.

The website also contains many interesting facts about wildcats and will feature regular updates from the project team and partners as the work progresses.

Wildcat priority areas identified by Scottish Wildcat Action are Strathpeffer, Strathbogie, Northern Strathspey, the Angus Glens, Strathavon and Morvern. Sightings and volunteers within these areas are particularly important to the conservation of the species but sightings from across Scotland are also welcomed.

Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “By working together as organisations and individuals we have a better chance of saving this rare native creature. It is thanks to players of the National Lottery that volunteers will be trained and cameras installed to track the elusive Scottish wildcat. However, it is down to us all to keep our eyes peeled, report any sightings, and give this species a brighter future.”

Notes to editors

Vicky MacDonald, Communications Coordinator, Scottish Wildcat Action: 0131 3124725 or 07799 342380 vicky.macdonald@snh.gov.uk

PHOTOCALL: Tuesday 1 September, 08:00hrs outside the Scottish Parliament building, Edinburgh. In attendance will be Scottish wildcat species champion Rhoda Grant; Dr Roo Campbell, Scottish Wildcat Action Project Manager and other wildcat experts.

WHO IS INVOLVED: Scottish Wildcat Action unites leading experts from more than 20 key organisations.

The organisations who form the Scottish Wildcat Action Steering Group are: Scottish Natural Heritage; Forestry Commission Scotland; Cairngorms National Park Authority; National Museums Scotland; Royal Zoological Society of Scotland; Scottish Gamekeepers Association; Scottish Wildlife Trust; National Trust for Scotland; The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies - Edinburgh University;

Other organisations who have committed to delivering the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan: Aigas Field Centre; British Association for Shooting and Conservation; Chester Zoo; Highland Council; Highland Foundation for Wildlife; John Muir Trust; Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority; National Farmers Union Scotland; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; Scottish Land and Estates; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Oxford University.

FUNDERS: Scottish Government and Heritage Lottery Fund.

THE PROBLEM: The Scottish Wildcat (Felis silvestris) is one of Scotland’s most endangered mammals and our only remaining native cat. It urgently needs action to save shrinking populations in the wild. Following habitat loss and persecution through the 19th century, the wildcat is now restricted in the UK to the Scottish Highlands north of the central belt.

The main threats are: hybridisation (interbreeding with feral domestic cats), disease and accidental persecution.

Factsheets available on www.scottishwildcataction.org

THE SOLUTION:

Scottish Wildcat Action is delivering the first national plan to save the Scottish wildcat: The Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan. This six year plan aims to reduce threats in wildcat priority areas and breed wildcats for later release.

Priority areas: Six wildcat priority areas were identified based on evidence of wildcats in those areas. They are Strathpeffer, Strathbogie, Northern Strathspey, Angus Glens, Strathavon and Morvern. This is where we will be reducing the threats in the wild.

Conservation breeding: Across the rest of the Scottish Highlands, we are working with land owners to create a stable population of wildcats through breeding for later release. Around 30 cats will be needed to form new founder populations and or bolster existing populations. Detailed work will be carried out to identify suitable release sites.

Research and monitoring: We are also committed to conducting and sharing extensive research and monitoring to build understanding.

REFERENCES:

Facebook and Twitter: @saveourwildcats

www.scottishwildcataction.org

Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan: http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/publications/search-the-catalogue/publication-detail/?id=2050

Photos available at www.flickr.com/saveourwildcats or high resolution on request.

Contact information

Name
SNH Media
Email
snhmedia@snh.gov.uk

NatureScot is Scotland's nature agency. We work to enhance our natural environment in Scotland and inspire everyone to care more about it. Our priority is a nature-rich future for Scotland and an effective response to the climate emergency. For more information, visit our website at www.nature.scot or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nature_scot

’S e NatureScot buidheann nàdair na h-Alba. Bidh sinn a’ neartachadh àrainneachd na h-Alba agus a’ brosnachadh dhaoine gu barrachd suim a chur ann an nàdar. Tha e mar phrìomhachas againn gum bi nàdar na h-Alba beairteach agus gun dèilig sinn gu h-èifeachdach le èiginn na gnàth-shìde. Tha an tuilleadh fiosrachaidh aig www.nature.scot no air Twitter aig https://twitter.com/nature_scot