Still Waters Posted September 13, 2012 #1 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Scottish wildcats will be extinct in the wild within months as numbers of pure-bred cats have fallen to about 35 individuals, conservationists warn. A team put together by the Scottish Wildcat Association (SWA) reviewed 2,000 records of camera trap sightings, eyewitness reports and also road kills. SWA said the analysis suggested there could be 35 wildcats - far fewer than previously thought. Other research has estimated that there could be less than 400 pure-bred cats. Last month, a report on a project funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) estimated that there were 150 breeding pairs left. Disease and inter-breeding with domestic and feral cats are among the main threats to numbers of pure-bred wildcats. http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-19569538 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckskin scout Posted September 13, 2012 #2 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Scottish wildcats will be extinct in the wild within months as numbers of pure-bred cats have fallen to about 35 individuals, conservationists warn. A team put together by the Scottish Wildcat Association (SWA) reviewed 2,000 records of camera trap sightings, eyewitness reports and also road kills. SWA said the analysis suggested there could be 35 wildcats - far fewer than previously thought. Other research has estimated that there could be less than 400 pure-bred cats. Last month, a report on a project funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) estimated that there were 150 breeding pairs left. Disease and inter-breeding with domestic and feral cats are among the main threats to numbers of pure-bred wildcats. http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-19569538 I have never heard of the Scottish Wildcat , how tragic it is being hybridized into extinction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neognosis Posted September 13, 2012 #3 Share Posted September 13, 2012 oh man.. when I was in college I worked at an Easter Seals summer camp, and they employed a few exchange students. I can't hear "scottish wildcat" without thinking fondly of Anne-Margaret Waddel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazoo Posted September 13, 2012 #4 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Well whats wrong with them inter-breeding? Its not like they are being killed off. They just like getting it on with other type of cats. Do the hybrids have trouble surviving in the wild or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Greenman Posted September 13, 2012 #5 Share Posted September 13, 2012 It is sad we are going to lose a unique cat. The are different from the middle eastern cats we have as our pets. You can breed lions and tigers but what you get is not a lion or a tiger. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazoo Posted September 13, 2012 #6 Share Posted September 13, 2012 It is sad we are going to lose a unique cat. The are different from the middle eastern cats we have as our pets. You can breed lions and tigers but what you get is not a lion or a tiger. Well I think its better then forcing them to interbreed to create a bunch of genetic problems. Just because we think its cool to have a unique cat around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickian Posted September 14, 2012 #7 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Technically they're not going extinct, they're just changing. The descendants and their DNA will survive into the planet's future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted September 15, 2012 #8 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Didn't they report a month or 2 ago saying they where doing well?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Waters Posted September 15, 2012 Author #9 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Didn't they report a month or 2 ago saying they where doing well?! I don't think so. There's been some concern for a while now about their numbers dwindling. Maybe you're thinking of this - http://www.unexplain...69&hl=+wildcats 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted September 16, 2012 #10 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I don't think so. There's been some concern for a while now about their numbers dwindling. Maybe you're thinking of this - http://www.unexplain...69&hl= wildcats That must be what I was thinking of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted September 16, 2012 #11 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Didn't they report a month or 2 ago saying they where doing well?! I remember the same thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted September 16, 2012 #12 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Scottish wildcats found in Cairngorms: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17831818 Camera traps capture new Scottish wildcat sites in the Cairngorms: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-17820001 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Waters Posted September 16, 2012 Author #13 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Scottish wildcats found in Cairngorms: http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17831818 Camera traps capture new Scottish wildcat sites in the Cairngorms: http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-17820001 That doesn't mean they are doing well. If you listen to the commentary in the video - "Scotland's wildcats are in real danger" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted September 16, 2012 #14 Share Posted September 16, 2012 That doesn't mean they are doing well. If you listen to the commentary in the video - "Scotland's wildcats are in real danger" Yes, I heard that, but the "estimated" new population was 400+ wild cats. Not saying it's all ok then, I just posted this article for that was the one I remembered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted September 16, 2012 #15 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Scottish wildcats found in Cairngorms: http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17831818 Camera traps capture new Scottish wildcat sites in the Cairngorms: http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-17820001 This is the one I remember! Going by the dates it looks like they found a few of them then started the testing and found that most of them where hybrids. Sad though, but at least in a way they aren't dying out, just being bred into hybrids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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