Scottish Wildcat

B

Bullfinch

Member
Does anybody know which zoos in the UK have Scottish Wildcats?

I am writing an assignment and really need to visit a couple but Twycross (my closest Zoo that had a breeding programme) no longer have them.
 
Your best bet is to visit Gentleshaws, which is in Staffordshire - I am given to understand their Scottish Wildcats are relatively high purity. Another good option would be Chestnut Centre, in Derbyshire.

Both are a lot closer to you than Drayton Manor, as well as significantly cheaper to visit!
 
LOL, Wasn't wanting to start an argument!

But thank you for the suggestions. I need the Wildcats to be part of a Captive breeding programme. Having taken a look at the suggestions I shall be contacting the Aspinall Foundation who run Port Lympne as they hold the studbook for Felis silvestris grampia, hopefully they should be able to give me a list of the centres who hold breeding pairs.
 
Johnny Morris. said:
I'll go as far as saying, no they are not.
Click to expand...

Having checked my estimate - which was based on not recalling correctly where Drayton *is* - I was wrong regarding Chestnut, but Gentleshaw is about the same distance. And my comment regarding it being a lot cheaper and the individuals being purer stands :p
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Having checked my estimate - which was based on not recalling correctly where Drayton *is* - I was wrong regarding Chestnut, but Gentleshaw is about the same distance. And my comment regarding it being a lot cheaper and the individuals being purer stands :p
Click to expand...

Which SCW are deemed 100% pure or nearly so in the breeding programme?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Which SCW are deemed 100% pure or nearly so in the breeding programme?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately things have become muddier recently as about half of the "pure" wildcats held by Highland Wildlife Park have been found to be slightly contaminated. As such I believe there is an ongoing programme of testing in order to double-check purity in UK collections.

However, the list of pure wildcats prior to this discovery in Autumn 2012 was something like the following:

Highland Wildlife Park
Calderglen Country Park
Scottish Deer Centre
Wildwood
British Nature Centre
Gentleshaws
Port Lympne

As the level of contamination now detected in some of the "pure" population was low, this is still a decent list for near-pure even if some of the above now do not meet the standard for full purity.

If you find it surprising that a tiny collection like Gentleshaws would have pure or near-pure Scottish Wildcats, it will likely provide some explanation to note that these wildcats arrived in 2006 when Norfolk Wildlife Park lost their licence to keep wild animals and re-branded as the ill-fated Animal Ark.
 
I have spoken to Gentleshaws, and although they have 3 cats they are currently not involved in breeding programmes. They have a neutered male and two females one of which is not suitable to breed from. They are involved in the genetic testing though and are awaiting the purity tests to be done.

I am still waiting to hear back from The Aspinall Foundation in Kent who have 8 cats and hold the stud book.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Unfortunately things have become muddier recently as about half of the "pure" wildcats held by Highland Wildlife Park have been found to be slightly contaminated. As such I believe there is an ongoing programme of testing in order to double-check purity in UK collections.
Click to expand...

Do you know exactly what this purity check is? I have never heard how one can reliably DNA test Wild cats from ferals, or rule out crosses. My understanding was that alot is based on phenotype, which is close to useless - it looks like a wild cat, so thus it must be. I know for certain that some of the quoted collections have not had proven pure wild cats in the past (Highland being an example of this), so I would question whether the situation has changed. Interested to know if there is another reliable test.
 
I would concur that pure wild cats would carry some unique haplotypes not available in domestics nor hybrids between them and the wild moggies and thus identifiable in their genetic make-up.
 
tetrapod said:
Interested to know if there is another reliable test.
Click to expand...

I read somewhere on another recent thread(General Forum or Conservation-relating to Scottish Wildcats) of a 'new test' that can determine purity- but it said little more than that.

I don't think the current captive population has undergone this testing yet. If its foolproof the results would be interesting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top