Scottish wildcats: Five endangered kittens born in Scotland
- Published
Keepers at the wildlife conservation charity will name the youngsters in the coming weeks
Five wildcat kittens have been born at a zoo in Scotland.
This is big news, as the cat species is endangered, meaning there aren't many left in the wild.
Keepers at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's (RZSS) Highland Wildlife Park say they're all doing very well, and they're now getting ready for their medical check-ups.
It's mum Talla's first litter - she is reported to be healthy and happy with her new family along with dad, Blair.
The kittens were born about a month ago but only recently came out of their den
Keith Gilchrist, animal collection manager at Highland Wildlife Park said: "Wildcats are Scotland's most iconic animal but, sadly, also one of our most endangered. This incredible species in on the brink of extinction due to historic habitat loss and hunting.
"More recently they have become increasingly threatened by interbreeding with domestic cats."
Keith was very upbeat about the new kittens, saying that this marks an "exciting time for wildcats in Scotland".
There are thought to be 40 species of wildcat around the world
Wildcats once lived all across Britain, but they were hunted for many years, until by World War One they could only be found in Scotland
They like to live near woods and mountains
Their stripy coats have earned them the nickname 'highland tigers'
They're carnivores, meaning meat-eaters
They spend a lot of time sleeping and digesting their food during the day, and are most active around dawn and dusk
Wildcat Wood in Highland Wildlife Park is home to eight Scottish wildcats; Katrine, Blair, Talla and her five kittens
To help the fantastic felines, the RZSS lead a project called Saving Wildcats. In this, they work with national and international experts to increase Scotland's critically endangered wildcat population by breeding and releasing them into the Cairngorms Connect area of the Cairngorms National Park.
They also strive to combat the risks that wildcats currently face.
The kittens that were born as part of this project in 2022 will be released into Cairngorms National Park later this summer.
Talla and her babies aren't a part of this though - they're going to live at Wildcat Wood where visitors can come and see and learn more about them.
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