New documentary chronicles the revival of wildcats in the Cairngorms National Park
A new two-part documentary, Wildcats: Cait ann an Cunnart, is set to be broadcast on BBC ALBA on Wednesday 8 January, chronicling the progress of Saving Wildcats - a groundbreaking conservation partnership project aiming to prevent the extinction of wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild.
The two-part series follows the journey of the team behind Saving Wildcats, guiding viewers through their efforts to release captive bred wildcats from a specialised breeding for release centre, located at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms National Park. As well as being selected and encouraged to breed, everything possible is done to prepare the animals for life in the wild, before they are released in locations across the Cairngorms Connect Partnership Area.
Throughout the course of the docu-series, which covers the first year of releases in 2023, the wildcats face numerous challenges - from adjusting to the rugged terrain to dealing with the unpredictable forces of nature. However, the documentary also reveals the rewarding moments of success as they learn to survive and thrive on their own.
A new two-part documentary, Wildcats: Cait ann an Cunnart, is set to be broadcast on BBC ALBA on Wednesday 8 January, chronicling the progress of Saving Wildcats - a groundbreaking conservation partnership project aiming to prevent the extinction of wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild.
The two-part series follows the journey of the team behind Saving Wildcats, guiding viewers through their efforts to release captive bred wildcats from a specialised breeding for release centre, located at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms National Park. As well as being selected and encouraged to breed, everything possible is done to prepare the animals for life in the wild, before they are released in locations across the Cairngorms Connect Partnership Area.
Throughout the course of the docu-series, which covers the first year of releases in 2023, the wildcats face numerous challenges - from adjusting to the rugged terrain to dealing with the unpredictable forces of nature. However, the documentary also reveals the rewarding moments of success as they learn to survive and thrive on their own.
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00:00I think they are probably one of the most feisty, fierce species and you will likely
00:27never lay an eye upon them. But the fact that they embody the Scottish wilderness, the fierceness
00:38of Scotland makes them, in my opinion, one of the most spectacular animals that we have
00:44on this planet. The wildcat is ingrained in our culture and history, whether you like
00:53it or not. Especially here in the Highlands, look at some of the whiskies and the beers.
00:57People like using it because they see it as so iconic. The wildcat is our last native
01:06cat species. They are critically endangered in Scotland, but it's probably worse than
01:12that. The population is not viable any longer in Scotland without intervention. The data
01:22started to tell us that the wildcat is in a much more critical state than what we once
01:26thought it was, to a point where it's functionally extinct. There might be some out there, one
01:33or two here or there, but there's not enough for it to be a sustainable population. And
01:37when that happens, it's just a matter of time. Sadly, we're pretty much there now.