The Scottish Wildcat, the rarest mammal in Britain, has been recently caught on camera at the Chester Zoo. This breed of cat is on the brink of extinction and is a part of an advanced breeding program. Only 100 Scottish Wildcats are said to be left in the UK, which is concerning.
Although it might look like a common cat to you, the Scottish Wildcat is anything but. In the past, the wild feline species were common in the wild in UK, but habitat loss and cross breeding have hurt their numbers significantly. Chester Zoo is trying its best to conserve the species and boost their numbers.
Tim Rowlands, a curator at the zoo, says that the Scottish Wildcat usually has only one litter per year, which means that each birth should be treated with caution. The kitten caught on camera was born last August and has been elusive since its birth. It has finally been caught in action, though, and it’s so majestic.
The Chester Zoo staff is certainly happy for the baby. Each new kitten brings the feline species back from the brink of extinction. Conservationists are using trail cameras to monitor the population density of wildcats in the wild, with the breeding program trying to increase the number of babies born.
So far, things have been going well, although the process is pretty challenging and slow. With these efforts, experts hope to see this gorgeous feline species saved from extinction, but time will tell if the whole thing will be successful.
