CONSERVATIONISTS say it is "too late" to save the iconic Scottish wildcat after a wide-ranging study found the animal to be on the verge of extinction.
A report into efforts to preserve the few remaining Highland Tigers found that the number left in the wild is now too low to represent a "viable" population. Fewer than 100 are thought to remain in the wild.
Efforts should now be focussed on revitalising the species through captive breeding programmes or re-introducing wildcats from northern Europe.
Once wide-ranging across much of rural Scotland, the last wildcats are now confined to isolated pockets of the Highlands.
Wildcat numbers have fallen to unsustainable levels
Hybridisation – the breeding of domestic pet and feral cats with wildcats – and a loss of habitat have been blamed for the species' decline.
Other factors were said to be road traffic accidents and dwindling food sources, and efforts to keep down other predators which inadvertently targeted wildcats.
Ongoing efforts to preserve populations in the wild have also failed, although population estimates may have been too high to begin with.
READ MORE: Saving the wildcat… now only a whisker away from extinction
The study was carried out by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Cat Specialist Group at the behest of Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA), starting last year and examining all the current data on wildcats and the various efforts to preserve the species.
It said: "All the robust information available indicates that the wildcat in Scotland is at the verge of extinction.
"Based on the available information, we consider the wildcat population in Scotland to be no longer viable.
"The number of wildcats is too small, the hybridisation too far advanced and the population too fragmented."
The report added: "We therefore conclude that it is too late to conserve the wildcat in Scotland as a stand-alone population."
Conservationists say they will battle on to preserve wildcats
The elusive wildcat has long been one of the UK’s most endangered mammals. Previous studies have cited hybridisation as the major threat to their survival in the wild, but this is the first time researchers have concluded it has contributed to the species dying out on a genetic level.
READ MORE: Claws are out in battle to save Scottish wildcat from extinction
Scottish Wildcat Action Steering Group Chair, Dr Andrew Kitchener, Principal Curator of Vertebrates at National Museums Scotland said: “We now have the strongest and most reliable evidence to date that wildcats are in a more endangered state than previously understood.
"While we believe there are wildcats remaining in the wild in Scotland, there are no longer enough to ensure their continued survival as viable populations."
However, options are now being examined to revitalise populations in the wold, possibly by introducing wildcats captured in northern Europe, or through a breeding programme with captive-bred wildcats.
Dr Kitchener said: "We can now plan the essential next steps to give the wildcat a sustainable future.”
RZSS CEO Barbara Smith, SNH's Head of People & Nature, Eileen Stuart, and Scotland's Environment Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham. Pic: SNH/Lorne Gill.
Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, also pledged not to give up the fight.
She said: “This report presents us with further evidence of the serious challenges that wildcat conservation faces in Scotland.
"The wildcat is an iconic Scottish species and, as such, I will consider every possible action the Scottish Government can take to save it, including an increased focus on captive breeding and reinforcement of the Scottish population with wildcats from elsewhere.
"We have in place a partnership of scientists and specialists with the knowledge and expertise to give us the best chance of restoring the Highland Tiger as a distinctive and charismatic species in the Scottish countryside, and I look forward to working with them to make this a reality.”
A wildcat, most likely a hybrid, spotted on Mull. Pic: Peter Harris/PA
Cat Conservation Project Officer at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, David Barclay, added: “We know the road ahead for wildcat recovery will be challenging, but our strong partnerships with SWA and international conservation specialists give us an incredible opportunity for success.
“Our plans for a National Wildlife Reintroduction Centre at Highland Wildlife Park will provide the perfect environment for breeding genetically tested wildcats with the aim of releasing them back to the wild to re-establish viable populations in key locations.
READ MORE: Wildcat kittens could provide lifeline for species
“Combined with the continued development of the conservation breeding programme, this will ensure we have a long-term solution for the recovery and conservation of this iconic species.
“Together we can restore Scotland's wildcats to their rightful place as an integral link in a thriving ecosystem.”
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