The birth of a rare Scottish wildcat kitten in captivity is an important step towards guarding the species against extinction, according to animal conservationists.

The birth of a rare Scottish wildcat kitten in captivity is an important step towards guarding the species against extinction, according to animal conservationists.

The male kitten was born to two pure-bred Scottish wildcats, said to be Britain's rarest mammal, at Wildwood Discovery Park, near Canterbury, Kent.

A name for the new arrival will be chosen by members of the public in a competition. Its parents, named Hamish and Flora by staff at the park, are among only 400 Scottish wildcats left in the world and scientists warn they could become extinct within decades.

Wildcats have been resident in Britain for more than two million years, sharing the land with the mammoth, cave bear and cave lion long before humans found their way through Europe's forests.

Peter Smith, chief executive of the Wildwood Trust, said that, after centuries of persecution by gamekeepers, deforestation and competition from introduced species, the numbers of Scottish wildcats had dwindled significantly.

He said: "The kitten's birth will help boost the increasingly important captive population in the UK, which could save the species from future extinction.

"The kitten was born earlier this month but it is only now the proud mother has brought the kitten out to meet the public.

"With extinction a possibility as soon as this decade, the next few years will be key in deciding whether the Scottish wildcat will survive.

"All wildcat species are endangered for very similar reasons across Europe, Asia and Africa. However, none is as close to extinction as the Scottish form which is Britain's rarest mammal and one of the rarest cats in the world."

The Scottish wildcat, known as Felis silvestris grampia, is a subspecies of the European wildcat. Although widespread throughout the UK until the 15th century, it is now not found in the wild below the M8 motorway which links Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Research carried out for the Mammals Trust by two of the UK's most eminent mammalogists of Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit in 2004 found Scottish wildcats are now almost exclusively confined to the Grampians and northern Highlands.