Restoring Wildcats to Britain

The wildcat is now Britain’s rarest mammal; with fewer than 300 animals left in the wild this species has been declared functionally extinct. In order to prevent the complete disappearance of this native species from our countryside, we need to reintroduce wildcats to bolster the existing population and restore them to other parts of Britain where they were once found. Captive breeding for reintroduction is the best way to do this, as we can carefully monitor the genetic diversity of released cats to prevent any issues of inbreeding, as well as ensure the cats released are pure wildcat rather than animals hybridised with domestic cats.

This project will expand on our already successful wildcat breeding facilities to construct three additional breeding enclosures, as well as a perimeter fence to prevent any cross contamination with domestic and feral cats, as well as other wildlife. In order to support national reintroductions of the wildcat, we need to increase our breeding capacity.