A LIFE project has been underway for the past three years to save the Scottish wildcat from extinction. The species was introduced there 9000 years ago and has suffered a severe decline in recent decades, with the result that the small remaining population has hybridised with feral domestic cats. The Saving Wildcats project aims to restore the wildcat population in Scotland by releasing individuals from the last remaining strongholds and reintroducing them into areas where the species has become extinct. The process is currently in the captive breeding phase, but from 2023 onwards around 20 individuals per year will be released.

The Junta de Andalucía participates in the Saving Wildcats project (https://savingwildcats.org.uk) as an advisor due to its experience in the conservation of the Iberian lynx, after leading five LIFE projects for its recovery and conservation, culminating in the current LIFE LYNCONNET project.

A specific advisory group was set up a few months ago to develop protocols for handling and training the cats prior to release. This advisory group held its first face-to-face meeting on 29-30 August at the Highland Wildlife Park in Aviemore, The Highlands. Representatives from the Iberian lynx conservation programme included the coordinator of the captive breeding centre in Silves, Portugal, Rodrigo Serra and one of the veterinarians from the Iberian lynx conservation programme in Andalucía, Guillermo López. The group also included international experts in the management and reintroduction of felines, such as Mariane Hartman, who has been breeding wildcats in captivity for 30 years for reintroduction projects, and Alex Sliwa, current director of the feline group of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

At the working meeting, numerous technical aspects of the training of the wildcats to be released into the wild and the planning of future releases were discussed. In the next few days, a management protocol will be drawn up that covers all the aspects discussed at the meeting. We at the Iberian Lynx Conservation Programme in Andalucía hope that the project will be a great success and that we will be able to continue to enjoy this wild species in Scotland.