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Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Wildcat Update


Pictured above is one of Kendra's kittens from this year, Isla... Isn't she just beautiful?

Of Kendra's three, one female went to Wildwood Trust near Herne Bay, to be company for their little wildcat that they successfully reared earlier this year. The other two are still here at the Centre, and will hopefully be re-homed at some point next year.

Iona's three kittens are still on top form, and it will be such a shame to seperate them... but that is something that will have to be done soon to prevent any potential inbreeding. I hope to keep at least one, if not two here at he Centre. The other/s may need to be re-homed too.



Wildcat conservation looks like it will have an exciting year next year, with the DNA results coming through for all the remaining captive cats and the great plans to build a breeding centre on the isle of Carna.

Unfortunately it looks like we may have to take another hiatus in breeding our cats next year. If we are unable to re-home our kittens from this year, we will not have the space to house further kittens at the end of 2014. This is a possible problem for all keepers of wildcats... you want to keep them breeding to keep the females in good condition, and to possibly aid future conservation plans, but you can't overcrowd in the limited space you have due to the individuals welfare.



Hopefully things will be sorted next year, plans will move on quickly, and we will be in a better position to breed and move kittens around to really help push and save the Scottish Wildcat.
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6 comments:

  1. Polo27 November 2013 at 14:12

    Could they not be rehomed in the "Haven" run by Prof Paul O'Donaghue?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt Binstead29 November 2013 at 16:43

      Hi Phil,

      I was under the assumption that the Haven project was just preparing an area for potential release... do they have facilities to hold cats there too? Keep up the good work with the Wildcat Art Gallery

      I'll send you an email, and you can reply to me there.

      Matt

      Delete
  2. Unknown7 December 2013 at 17:21

    Hi Matt,

    I visited the centre several weeks ago to look at your wildcats and their enclosures and spoke at length with one of your female keepers about the cats. I have called the centre twice since my visit, requesting if you could send me a copy of your management plans and enclosures information eg size specs etc as I am writing an assignment on the captive care and breeding of wildcats. I was told on both calls that my details would be passed on to yourself but I haven't heard anything and time is becoming quite restricted now as my deadline looms. Would you be able to assist me in this matter?

    Kind regards,

    Donna Clarke

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt Binstead11 December 2013 at 00:06

      Hi Donna,

      I have sent you an email.

      Matt

      Delete
    2. Unknown11 December 2013 at 06:03

      Hi Matt,

      Thanks for your email, I actually already have a copy of the action plan, it was the husbandry I need to know about, i.e. captive management, diet, enclosure design/dimensions, public information points, and how you manage the species to provide enough for the public without affecting the cats welfare etc.

      Are you able to provide any assistance with this?

      Many thanks,

      Donna.

      Delete
    3. Unknown11 December 2013 at 10:19

      Hi Matt,

      Thank you very much for the information you sent, it is exactly what I was after. I really appreciate your help.

      Kind regards,

      Donna

      Delete

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