A recent generation of captive-bred Scottish Wildcats that were released into Cairngorms National Park are thriving in their natural habitat.

The Saving Wildcats project was in charge of the release that saw 19 wildcats re-enter the wild this summer, tracked via GPS collars.

Solitary hunting cats have high mortality rates in winter months, and it's not expected that all 19 will survive the winter. Already one has succumbed to an infection.

However, the breeding and reintroduction program, supported by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, and the Cairngorms National Park Authority, has another thirteen kittens growing up in captivity in conditions that mimic the Cairngorms for future releases.

The iconic species was declared "functionally extinct in the wild" due to habitat loss and interbreeding with domesticated cats, but a herculean effort by various conservation groups has given the cat a rosier outlook in the decades ahead where they hope to reintroduce 60 juveniles between 6 and 8 months old.

In addition to reintroductions Saving Wildcats is working closely with landowners who have wildcats on their territories to ensure they are free to roam and unenticed to mate with domestic cats.

"The time is now to give the ‘Highland Tiger' the best chance of survival and I am thankful for the work of our team members, partners, and supporters in making this happen," said David Field of Saving Wildcats in June when the first reintroductions took place.

"I am also particularly grateful for the support of our local community in the Cairngorms as, without their engagement, we would not have reached this exciting milestone."

Visitors who happen to glimpse this feline in the wild are urged not to share the location of the sighting.

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