CONSERVATIONISTS have warned there may be no “pure bred” wildcats left in Scotland.
The Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA) group said current numbers of the animal in the wild may be as low as 100 and there might even be none with “no domestic ancestry”.
The critically endangered species has been declining in numbers for years and is facing extinction.
The iconic wildcat is Britain’s last native cat species and is fully protected by law.
Gallery: Photography competition takes a walk on the wild side with exhibition
However, the biggest threat they face is from breeding with their domestic counterparts.
The SWA has raised concerns that the species may have reached the point where there are no pure bred wildcats left.
A spokesman for the SWA said: “We may already be at a point where no cats exist which have ‘zero’ domestic ancestry of some kind.
“Some of the cats show evidence of only very little domestic cat in their ancestry, based on pelage (the scoring system created by Dr Andrew Kitchener from National Museums Scotland) and genetic assessment.”
The group believes the best plan to stop the wildcat from disappearing is for the owners of domesticated cats to have them vaccinated and neutered.
The SWA is a five-year project that was set up in 2015 to stop the extinction of the wildcat.
Gallery: Photography competition takes a walk on the wild side with exhibition
A spokesman added: “From an animal welfare point of view it’s not unreasonable for everyone to ensure their cat is neutered and vaccinated.
“If anyone is struggling with the cost of this then we may be able to help. If someone lives within a wildcat priority area – Strathbogie, Strathpeffer, Angus Glens, Northern Strathspey and Morvern.
“If you live outside a priority area then other animal welfare organisations may be able to help.” The biggest challenge facing the wildcat is its hybridisation with feral cats.
The spokesman said: “The first thing for us is to ensure we trap, vaccinate, neuter and return as many of those feral or farm cats living in one of our five wildcat priority areas as possible.
“It is important we ‘turn off the tap,’ by neutering. It’s important to stop new domestic cats coming into the wild from households and farms.”
Over the summer, the SWA managed to successfully trap more than 100 feral cats and neuter them.
Gallery: Photography competition takes a walk on the wild side with exhibition
The number of wildcats currently in Scotland is unknown, but the SWA’s best estimate there are between 100 and 300 of the creatures.
However, the group has urged that the number may be lower, adding: “It is quite possible the number of wildcats living in Scotland is so low they will not be able to survive on their own.”
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