MAJOR FLAWS IN BREED AND RELEASE PROJECT EXPOSED IN MEDIA

Hi All

We are very grateful to David MacKay at the Press and Journal for exposing the truth behind the PR bluster. Here is the link:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/environment/5834110/wildcat-haven-nature-scot-licences/

As you know we have our misgivings about the planned captive breeding and release programme coordinated by RZSS ( The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland  that runs Edinburgh zoo and the Highland Wildlife park). We therefore asked the government for a copy of the license. After months of waiting and numerous prompts, we finally got the license. 

Needless to say our concerns are fully justified.

A summary of the key points is as follows:

They plan on releasing 60 cats.

They expect at least 36 of them to die in their first year of release.

They accept that the mortality may actually increase from this figure.

The release site is in proximity to the A9, one of the busiest roads in Scotland. 

Road kill is one of the major mortality causes.

The license is for the release of  NON NATIVE animals. Yet we all know that the Scottish Wildcat is true native of Scotland. 

The claim that the release site contains no wildcats and is on land that is part of the Cairngorms Connect project. However, the Cairngorms connect project boasts to have wildcats on it’s land. It’s on their website. 

They are considering using ‘hard release’ techniques where the cat is literally dumped out of a box and left to fend for itself. 

Scientific literature based on previous releases of European wildcats report losses of up to 80% in the first year. That would equate to 48 out of 60 cats dying.

We have all seen the PR barrage from RZSS and Nature Scot, but these are the facts they probably didn’t want you to see. 

Oh and guess what, the release sites are with 2 and 10km from the zoo. Surprise surprise. 

So there is project that claims that the wildcat is functionally extinct (it definitely isn’t as we are showing), that plans on spending up to 5 million pounds on a project that will likely lead to the death of up to 48 wildcats. The Cairngorms is one of the harshest environments in Scotland, has a major road going through it and has major human settlements like Aviemore. You could hardly think of a worse spot for such a project. It is only makes sense if you want to profit from it and increase zoo ticket sales. 

 

So much death and so much wastage of funds. That money if properly spent on  conserving the remaining wild population, would save the wildcat in the wild where it belongs. 

 

Some of you have asked why we don’t work with these organisations. We would never sign up to something as misguided and wasteful as this. There are some serious welfare concerns here as well. The breeding enclosures where the kittens spend the early and crucially formative part of their lives are not naturalistic and so don’t allow the development of natural behaviours. They may well be moved to more natural enclosures before release but the damage may already be done. 

And what about the non-native aspect. We have shown you images of the very poor quality hybrids they are breeding from. Nature Scot claim that a non-native license is required because they are locally extinct in the release area. However, this can’t be true as the landowners of the release site claim that there are wildcat already there. We think the non-native clause is to cover them for releasing low grade hybrids that are not in fact wildcats. The ones we have seen with white chests look like they are more suited to curling up on your lap rather than being released into arguably the most extreme environment in the UK. 

In addition to this clearly ill conceived and disastrous scheme, there is another crucial reason why we could never collaborate with any project that involves RZSS and that again is on welfare grounds. Through a previous FOI made a few years ago we exposed this:

‘However the trapping licence issued by SNH to Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) dictates that all feral cats caught must be shot by gamekeepers in the cage trap (see page 12 first para RZSS licence application document).

Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International / UK, which supports the Wildcat Haven project, commented: "We are appalled and dismayed that feral cats in Scotland are facing death in the name of 'conservation' under protocols authored by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

"I am sure the public will be rightly shocked by this sad revelation. Wildcat Haven has proven that feral cats can be sterilised, not shot, to protect Scottish wildcats in their natural habitat.

The license application is supported by a detailed document authored by RZSS, setting out 'Humane Dispatch Protocols' which includes the stipulation (page 21 last para RZSS licence application document):

"Any individuals which are obviously feral domestic cats, non-native or unfit for release will bedispatched according to standard predator control practices, by the land manager, as per estate norms. Dispatch with a 12 bore shotgun using number three shot (lead shot not to be used overforeshore or wetlands), positioned 5m from the trap, aiming at the head and front of shoulder, is recommended."

RZSS was widely condemned including by the Humane Society International. We could never work with an organisation that proposed and designed such a barbaric plan. You can read the article here:

https://theecologist.org/2016/apr/12/scotlands-secret-cat-slaughter-revealed-foi-documents

Oh and if that isn’t bad enough they also culled an entire wolf pack and replaced them with another sub species. It was exposed and condemned by Advocates for animals:

https://www.scotsman.com/news/wildlife-park-culls-pack-of-wolves-to-stop-them-killing-each-other-2481149

And finally there is this. They were renting pandas and it’s almost unspeakable what they were exposed to. This time PETA condemned them:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-zoo-pandas-sexually-assaulted-23957119.amp

We understand that some of you may think RZSS are good and some of you may even have donated to their wildcat plans so we appreciate it may be uncomfortable to read the reality behind the marketing. 

But hopefully now you can see why we don’t work with them. They are not our kind of people. We will continue to be the only organisation focused on conserving the magnificent wild cat in the wild where it belongs.

The recent wildcat article only allows you to read it a few times so the full text is on our news website:

https://www.wildcathaven.com/news

Thanks so much for your continued support and understanding. 

Best wishes and keep watching.

The Wildcat Haven Team. 

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