Saving Wildcats

12/10/2026

Keep calm and stay local 📍

It's not uncommon for translocated animals to bolt out of an intended project area as soon as they take their first steps into the wild. This is known as hyperdispersal.

To mitigate this, the team takes steps to ensure the wildcats released into the Cairngorms National Park are as calm and well-adjusted to their new environment as possible. For example, the wildcats are typically:

🐾 Moved into delayed release enclosures for a few days to get used to their new surroundings
🐾 Released in the early hours, which reduces the risk of disturbance
🐾 Surrounded by strategically placed latrines of their own s**t (taken from their pre-release enclosure) to offer a familiar scent as they explore
🐾 Positioned and released beside a sibling, where possible, or another young wildcat
🐾 Left to leave their delayed release enclosure in their own time
🐾 Offered supplementary food initially after release

Thankfully, most released wildcats have stayed within the project area in the months following their release, with many establishing territories and settling 🧡

07/10/2026

Hey you! Yes, YOU 🫵

Make sure you've signed up to receive the project's e-newsletter for exclusive news, opportunities and content ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/join-us 📫

05/10/2026

Passionate about conservation? 🌱

Love film? 🎥

If so, make sure you’ve got your tickets for the Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival, coming to Highland Wildlife Park on Saturday 10 October!

Enjoy 90 minutes of incredible short films, focusing on conservation successes from around the world, followed by a panel session excited to answer your questions 🌍

🎟 Book now ➡️ bit.ly/ECFF2026 🍿

01/10/2026

For all of Europe’s wildcats 🇪🇺

Last week, NatureScot hosted the EuroWildcat conference at Highland Wildlife Park. The annual conference celebrates the latest developments in international wildcat research and brings together conservationists from across the continent to share experiences, expertise, and new approaches.

Eight Saving Wildcats team members gave presentations or produced research posters, offering greater insight into the progress being made, as well as lessons learned, in the Cairngorms National Park. The delegates were also taken out into the project area to see the delayed release enclosures 🌲

Events like this continue to build and support international relationships that are vital for European wildcat recovery, including that of Scotland's critically endangered subpopulation 🧡

30/09/2026

🎉 Volunteering opportunities ‼️

Come and spend a day refurbishing wildcat enclosures this October 🍂

Volunteers will be working in the off-show conservation breeding for release centre, based at Highland Wildlife Park.

Tasks will include clearing overgrown vegetation, making brash piles and building climbing structures. All this work directly contributes to preparing young wildcats for life in the wild.

Join the team for this fantastic opportunity and support wildcat restoration in the Cairngorms National Park 🐾

Apply now ➡️ https://bit.ly/enclosure-volunteer

29/09/2026

Introducing Spurtle 😻

Two weeks ago, the team asked you to vote on this wee bundle of joy’s name, and it was a landslide victory for 'Spurtle' 🥄

He is the eighth kitten to be born in the conservation breeding for release centre, based at Highland Wildlife Park, this year. He was born to experienced mum, Margaret, and proud dad, Oscar, and is thriving under their watchful eyes.

Be part of his journey; sponsor one of his parents and receive exclusive updates about his progress ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor

28/09/2026

Thanks to your incredible support, the Saving Wildcats partnership, led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is celebrating the release of 50 wildcats into the wilds of Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

This major milestone was reached following the release of four wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park this summer 🎉

Dr Sarah Henshall, head of conservation for the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “To have released fifty wildcats in four years is a monumental step for the recovery of this iconic Scottish species. It is a testament to the partnerships and communities that are working to ensure wildcat survival in Scotland. We are proud, but we all remain conscious of the difficulties wildcats still face.”

Read the press release in full ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/50wildcatsreleased 🧡

24/09/2026

Wild-born kittens are doing well 🧡

Monitoring at least seven confirmed wild-born litters across the vast Cairngorms National Park is no easy task for the team.

The wee wildcats stay with their mum for between four and six months, before dispersing to find territories of their own. Unlike their parents, kittens cannot be fitted with GPS-radio collars due to their small size and the fact that they’re still growing 🐾

So, the team are reliant on an extensive network of trail cameras and public sightings to keep track of them. Thankfully, some are less camera-shy than others 📍

23/09/2026

Early bird catches the wildcat ⏰

Did you CATch the team at breakfast time on BBC News yesterday?

Don’t worry if you’re not an early riser; you can ejoy this five minute read instead ➡️ https://bbc.in/3VI1Fj8 🧡

The Saving Wildcats partnership is keeping an eye on the latest wildcats being bred in captivity for release into the Cairngorms.

22/09/2026

Wildcats thriving in Scotland by 2045 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

A new national strategy, published by NatureScot, aims to restore wildcats to a level where they thrive and expand in Scotland.

The development of Scotland’s Wildcat Strategy 2025-2045 has involved more than 25 stakeholder organisations, including Saving Wildcats' partners, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and Cats Protection, working together for the restoration of one of our most iconic but threatened species.

The strategy sets out plans to empower and support communities to live alongside wildcats and maximise the species' environmental and economic benefits 🐾

Read the strategy ➡️ https://www.nature.scot/wildcats-thriving-scotland-2045