Scottish wildcat The Scottish wildcat (Felis sylvestris) is a genuine wild species of cat. Wildcats may look like pet cats but these are incredibly tough super-predators, sometimes called the Tiger of the Highlands. The wildcat is critically endangered with less than 400 individuals remaining in the wild and a handful in the captive breeding population. Wildcats have suffered centuries of habitat loss. They have been hunted for their fur and have been killed as vermin. Disease, and vehicle collisions have also had an effect on their numbers and they have also interbreed with domestic cats, diluting their genetic purity.

Scottish wildcat A captive breeding programme for wildcats has begun. A studbook has been produced and this allows informed decisions to be made when selecting animals for breeding. It also makes sure that the maximum amount of genetic diversity is maintained.   The captive population could also help re-establishing a wild population of pure Scottish wildcats.  A research group in Scotland has recently developed a DNA-based blood test to establish the purity of wild and captive cats in the hope of injecting fresh genes into the current population.

Scottish wildcat In Scotland the results of genetic analysis suggest that there are two main groups of wildcats. One group is genetically very similar to the house cats, while the other group contains cats identified as wildcats. The cross-breeding between wild and free-ranging domestic species is one of the main conservation problems for this threatened species. Genetic analysis of wildcats throughout Europe has also indicated that there are many hybrid groups. Scientists feel that the improvement of genetic tools for hybrid detection is crucial for wildcat conservation.