In light of the perilous state of Scottish wildcats in the wild, the captive breeding programme has taken on additional importance. The studbook (the list of captive wildcats considered suitable for breeding) is currently maintained by Neville Buck from Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent. In the last edition there were a total of 55 cats (23 males, 25 females and 7 unsexed) in 12 collections. In 2007, 20 kittens were born (7 males, 5 females and 7 unsexed) in 4 institutions and of this number, 15 were fully reared.
In the 21st century, structured, cooperative captive breeding programmes are increasingly becoming an integral part of a growing number of species conservation plans, and the Scottish wildcat is no exception. At the backbone of the programme is the studbook data that enables informed decisions to be made when one is selecting animals for new breeding pairs and ensuring that the maximum amount of gene diversity is maintained.
Should the hybrid problem be as significant as we may think within the wild population, the captive population becomes not just a safety net against extinction in the wild, but the key element for augmenting or re-establishing a wild population of pure Scottish wildcats. At the moment the captive population gives us some breathing room and an excellent resource for research that could positively impact upon the species in the wild. A captive population is like the lifeboats on an ocean liner, its comforting to know they are there, you just hope you don't need to use them.
(Information supplied by Douglas Richardson, Head of Animals, Highland Wildlife Park).
We must ensure that the enlightened attitude of most 21st century land and game managers, combined with more responsible domestic cat ownership, give our highland tiger a secure future.
