A six-year plan aimed at conserving Scotland’s wildcats has been unveiled by environment minister Paul Wheelhouse.
The pure-bred Scottish wildcat is considered one of the world’s rarest species, with some estimates claiming there are only 35 left in the wild.
The main threat to the “Highland Tiger” is considered to be hybridisation with feral domestic cats and so the plan will look at trapping, neutering and vaccinating feral cats and hybrids.
A tentative conservation breeding programme will also be developed.
Earlier this year, calls for cloning technology to be used to save the species were rejected, with conservation experts claiming it should only be considered when “all other avenues have been exhausted”.
