Wildcat breeding and research
European wildcat
Felis silvestris
Wildcats used to be found throughout the UK but now their range has been limited to the remotest parts of Scotland. Their numbers have rapidly declined due to persecution, habitat loss and fragmentation, disease spread by feral cats and the dilution of the wildcat genes through interbreeding with domestic cats.
The wildcats held at Wildwood are part of the national breeding programme. The studbook for the species is held by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) who make breeding and pairing recommendations in order to maintain a genetically viable captive population.
Latest update
In 2024 we welcomed 11 kittens within our bespoke off-show breeding facility as part of our breeding efforts of the species. This extremely successful first year of breeding within our breeding facility has enabled us to begin a number of research projects which have been funded by Rewilding Britain.
We aim to look into Wildcat hunting behaviour development, developmental behaviour assessments, communication and vocalisation of cats and kittens along with working with the University of Kent carrying out microbiome studies.
Understanding the development of Wildcats will enable us to stride towards establishing a self-sustaining wildcat population outside of Scotland in the near future.
Collaborating to rewild
Wildwood Trust, Durrell and VWT are pooling their skills, knowledge and experience to establish a self-sustaining population of wildcats outside Scotland.
Currently, the only wild population of these rare cats is in the remote Highlands. However, this small population has been declared “functionally extinct” as interbreeding with feral cats has resulted in them having the same gene pool as domestic cats.
The long-term goal of this project is to establish a self-sustaining wildcat population in an ecologically suitable landscape outside of Scotland.
Staff at Wildwood Trust have worked in partnership with the University of Kent on research into den box preferences of wildcats which has improved breeding success of the species but also supports the future breeding of wildcats once released into the wild.
Wildwood's success story
Wildwood is hugely successful with breeding wildcats, which are generally quite a tricky species to breed.
In June 2020 Wildwood Trust announced our delight to be working in partnership with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) to restore species of conservation concern to Britain, with a particular focus on the European wildcat (Felis silvestris).
