Saving Wildcats

Saving Wildcats (#SWAforLife) is a European partnership project dedicated to Scottish wildcat conservation and recovery. Wildcats are on the brink of extinction in Scotland following a sad history of habitat loss, persecution and breeding with domestic cats. Independently reviewed scientific research has shown our wild-living population is no longer viable and the captive population is more important than ever before. Together we aim to prevent the extinction of wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild. Following on from the work of Scottish Wildcat Action, our plans include building the UK’s only large-scale conservation ‘breeding for release’ centre where wildcats will be prepared for life in the wild and then released into the Cairngorms National Park. By bringing together the expertise and skills of national and international organisations, we can secure a future for the Highland tiger and restore wildcats to landscapes across Scotland where they can be cherished for generations to come. You can help save wildcats in Scotland by making a donation at savingwildcats.org.uk/help and ensuring pet cats are neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. The conservation breeding for release of wildcats is being carried out by the Saving Wildcats partnership (#SWAforLIFE) led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in collaboration with NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Norden’s Ark and Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio de la Junta de Andalucía. The project is funded with the contribution of the LIFE Programme of the European Union and the generous support of the Garfield Weston Foundation, the National Trust for Scotland, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and The European Nature Trust.