Port Lympne Wild Animal Park Scottish Wildcats

MARK

MARK

Well-Known Member
The Port Lympne zoo in Kent is to start a breeding program for the now rare Scottish Wildcat thought to be fewer than 400 roaming Scotland, they will start with one pair and build up to five or more pairs. It is also hoped other Uk zoos will come on board and join them in the progam.
 
When i was up their last year they had at least 2 pairs,of which i believe both females were expecting any day soon at the time of my visit.
 
The New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park also breed them, so good to have another collection joining the 'troop'.
 
As has been mentioned on other threads about wild cats in the UK, there are actually quite a few 'Scottish' wild cats held mostly in small collections. The big issues are not about having enough collections to create a worthwhile captive population for release, but instead how to establish that every potential founder is not contaminated with domestic cat blood and hopelessly inter-related, and how to stop domestic intergression into the Grampian wild cats (or wherever they plan to release). I have yet to see any evidence that wild cats can be genetically identified with any certainty. Most 'experts' select individuals purely on a good phenotype ie. how it looks. Is there going to be a fence to protect the wild population? There has to be some sort of 'no go' corridor for domestic cats or otherwise this program will be a waste of time. Sorry to sound like Scrooge at a Christmas party, but I have seen too much lip service to conservation programs to be convinced...
 
MARK said:
Any idea what number are at the HWP?
Click to expand...

There are 5 females and 2 males at HWP. Three males were transferred to Edinburgh Zoo earlier this year. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) who run both parks are partners in a project promoting awareness in the Scottish wildcat. You can get more information at the following links:-

Scottish Wildcat Association, conserving Scotland's critically endangered wild felines

Tooth and Claw: Britain's wild predators and the way we feel about them
 
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