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Two rare Scottish wildcat kittens have been born at the Aigas Field Centre in the Scottish Highlands.

They may be small and adorable, but they’re fierce.

They’re the first litter for a wildcat called Glynis.

This is a big deal – there are thought to be under 400 pure wildcats left in the world, with the cats being described as ‘functionally extinct’.


Aren’t they cute? (Picture: Ben Jones /SWNS.COM)

One of the major risks for the wildcat breed is wildcats mating with domestic cats. This produces very cute kittens, but could cause the breed to die out. We don’t want that.

Disease and loss of habitat also pose risks to the species.



And so Aigas is part of a project called Scottish Wildcat Action, which, combined with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, is making sure Scottish wildcats continue to thrive.

The kittens are just a few weeks old (Picture: Ben Jones /SWNS.COM)

For now the focus is breeding these kitties in the centres, but in the future the cats bred at Aigas could be released into the wild. They’ll need to be certain threats to the species aren’t as prevalent before they send out any offspring, however.

The two new kittens are just a few weeks old and have started exploring their enclosure.

They’re also learning how to miaow and growl, which results in some very ferocious pictures.

Keepers at Aigas Field Centre say the kittens are great at climbing and have ‘bags of ferocity’.

Keepers say they’re already great at climbing (Picture: Ben Jones /SWNS.COM)

Conservation is crucial for Scottish wildcats, which are now considered functionally extinct (Picture: Ben Jones /SWNS.COM)

A spokesman at the centre said: ‘We have several conservation projects on the go at Aigas, but the Wildcat Breeding Programme is by far our most critical.

‘We are delighted to see all the hard work put in by all our team of rangers rewarded with two new little faces.

‘Glynis was quite a relaxed female up to the point she became a mother.

‘However, since giving birth she has become very protective of both kittens and guards the entrance to their enclosure.

In the future, kittens bred at the centre will be released into the wild (Picture: Ben Jones/ Aigas Field Centre)

‘In the last week, our kittens have become much bolder and can collect their own food. Glynis is back to her relaxed self and watches her kittens play and learn.

‘It is as if they set challenges for each other, who can climb the highest or run the fastest.

‘Having a sibling is defiantly a bonus if you are a young wildcat and it has been fascinating to watch them investigate new smells and climb stumps and posts in their enclosure together.

‘The wildcat in Scotland is now considered functionally extinct in the wild, there are just too few spread over too large an area, which makes breeding programmes such as ours vital to their conservation.’

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