AssetID: 53139893
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Wildcats Reintroduced Into Scotland's Cairngorm Mountains
Caption: Wildcats are happily roaming Scotland again after 19 were reintroduced into the Cairngorms National Park throughout the summer. The area’s feline residents have been closely monitored using GPS-radio collars, providing crucial insights into their behaviour and habitat preferences. Dr Keri Langridge, Saving Wildcats In-Situ Conservation Manager who is leading the tracking, said: “The cats are typically using a mixture of rough grassland, mixed woodland and riparian habitats, which provide prey such as mice and voles as well as cover to hide from disturbance threats, including people and dogs”. “Camera traps which we have positioned across the release sites have also recorded videos of the animals exhibiting positive behaviours such as hunting prey” . While sightings of these elusive creatures are rare, the public has been urged not to disclose any locations where they may have spotted wildcats. Conservationists temporarily relocated the wildcats from RZSS's Highland Wildlife Park to enclosures within the Cairngorms before their eventual release. As a testament to the project's success, 13 kittens were born in the Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre at RZSS's Highland Wildlife Park this year. These kittens, once reaching six to eight months of age, will be transferred to pre-release enclosures in preparation for their reintroduction into the wild in the summer of 2024.
Keywords: Wildcats,Reintroduced,Scotland,Cairngorm,Mountains,summer,area,feline,residents,cats,monitored,GPS,radio,collars,behavior,habitat,mice,voles,woodland,grassland,animals,hunting,prey,elusive,creatures,RZSS,Highland Wildlife Park,kittens,wild,natural world
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