Dozens of wildcats are set to be released into the English countryside for the first time in 500 years
- Between 40 and 60 of the wildcats will be set free in Devon and Cornwall
- Wildcats were almost hunted to extinction in parts of Britain in the 16th century
As a part of a new pioneering conservation project, dozens of European wildcats are to be released into rural parts of Cornwall and Devon.
Between 40 and 60 of the wildcats, which can grow up to twice the size of the conventional domesticated cat, will be set free for the first time in over two centuries to prey on vermin and rabbits.
Wildcats were previously hunted to extinction in most parts of Britain in the 16th century for their thick dense fur as well as the threat they posed to rabbits.
Today, they are the United Kingdom’s rarest native mammal with just 200 living in remote areas of northern Scotland.
Conservationists hope that their reintroduction into the English countryside will result in them playing an important ecological role in the countryside, according to the Devon Wildlife Trust.
As a part of a new pioneering conservation project, dozens of European wildcats are to be released into rural parts of Cornwall and Devon
Conservationist and ‘rewilder’ Derek Gow is working with the Devon Wildlife Trust to release the cats into the wild
Conservationist and ‘rewilder’ Derek Gow has five mating pairs of cats on his farm in Lifton, Devon, which were given to him to breed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
He has run a successful captive breeding programme over the last few years and now is now working with the Devon Wildlife Trust to release dozens of cats into the wild.
The cats, which eat small mammals such as mice and rabbits will live in secret, rural locations on Devon and Cornwall to begin with.
According to experts, the wildcats will pose no threat to humans or domestic pets as they will inhabit dense woodland and will take flight at the sight of a person.
Mr Gow, 57, said: ‘If we have the ability to save a nearly extinct species which once populated all of Britian until we hunted them to the brink why would we not reintroduce them?
‘Along with beavers and pine martins they will play a key role in restoring our landscape to its natural state.
‘This is just one small step in the right direction, returning wildcats to our forests will help rejuvenate them.’
He said that all animals have an essential effect on their ecosystems, and provided a ‘check on rampant mice and rabbits’ whose populations have grown to uncontrollable numbers.
According to experts, the wildcats will pose no threat to humans or domestic pets as they will inhabit dense woodland
European wildcats look very similar to the average tabby cat, however, they are larger and bulkier than their domestic counterparts
He added: ‘As a species we have culled wild animals to death and now is the time for us to start reversing that trend.’
The Devon Wildlife Trust has recently received funding from the Devon Environment Foundation to thoroughly research the best way to reintroduce these wildcats into the county.
European wildcats look very similar to the average tabby cat, however, they are larger and bulkier than their domestic counterparts. They have longer legs, broader heads, pointier ears and distinctive tails with three to five black rings around them before a black tip.
he wildcat is closely related to but not the ancestor of the domestic cat.
Peter Burgess, director of nature recovery at DWT, said: ‘They naturally stay far away from human habitation and it will be a miracle if people even find evidence that they have been around, never mind come across them.
‘Ideally we will be selecting coastal scrubland and dense forests as places where they can be released.
‘With any luck they will slowly begin building up their population and repopulate the county and eventually the country.’
He added: ‘We are confident that people will get behind the project and support saving a species which is nearly extinct.’
Source: Read Full Article
