What is the Saving Wildcats project doing to help Scottish wildcats?

The Saving Wildcats project, led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), is breeding and releasing endangered Scottish wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. Over the last 3 years, they have released 46 cats and some have gone on to produce litters of kittens in the wild.

How is Brexit affecting the Saving Wildcats project?

The Saving Wildcats project is facing funding challenges due to the UK's departure from the European Union (EU) 5 years ago. The project had previously relied on EU support, but can no longer access that funding source. They now need to find new ways to fund their critical work of breeding and releasing Scottish wildcats.

What is the current status of Scottish wildcats in the wild?

According to a major study published in 2018, Scottish wildcats were described as "functionally extinct" in the wild at that time. The Saving Wildcats project is working to reverse this trend and give the species a "fighting chance" of survival by breeding and releasing more cats into the wild.

Home / Environment / Brexit Threatens Lifeline for Endangered Scottish Wildcats

Brexit Threatens Lifeline for Endangered Scottish Wildcats

21 Oct

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Summary

Saving Wildcats project released 46 cats into the wild in last 3 years
Project needs new funding as it can no longer access EU support
Scottish wildcats were "functionally extinct" in the wild in 2018

Brexit Threatens Lifeline for Endangered Scottish Wildcats

As of October 2025, a conservation project in Scotland is facing significant challenges in its efforts to breed and release endangered Scottish wildcats into the wild. The Saving Wildcats initiative, led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), has released 46 cats into the Cairngorms National Park over the past 3 years, with some of the female cats successfully producing litters of kittens in the wild.

However, the project now needs to find new ways to fund its critical work, as it can no longer access the European Union (EU) support it had previously relied on due to the UK's departure from the EU 5 years ago. According to Dr. Helen Senn, who heads up the Saving Wildcats project, "It takes huge amounts of time, expertise and resources to bring a species back from the brink and we can't do it alone."