IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Easterbee, N.; Hepburn, L.V.; Jefferies, D.J. | |
| Survey on the status of the wildcat in Scotland, 1983 -1987 | |
| 1991 Full Book | |
In order to implement appropriate policies for the conservation of a species such as the wild cat it is necessary to understand its ecological requirements and to have sufficient knowledge of its status and distribution. Between 1983 and 1987 the nature Conservancy Council, as part of a programme of work on the rarer British carnivores, undertook a systematic survey of the wildcat population in Scotland. Records of the distribution and status of the wildcats were collected from 499 ten km squares in Scotland, with more than 400 people supplying information. No evidence of wildcats was found south of a line between Edinburgh and Glasgow. North of the Central Lowlands, the main populations of wildcats were found to occur in north-east Scotland, Easter Ross, north-east Inverness-shire, Strathspey, east Perthshire and parts of Argyll. Elsewhere, particularly in the mountainous areas of the west and north wildcat occurrence was found to be sporadic. The density of wildcat populations was generally low, even in areas of suitable habitat, the population in north-west and west Scotland being particularly sparse. Over 30% of populations were reported to have declined in recent years, compared with only 8% reported as increasing. Persecution was found to have been widespread and was considered to be a significant threat to small, isolated wildcat populations. Hybridisation with feral domestic cats has been identified as a major long-term threat to the species. The purer wildcat populations are likely to be those occurring in the more remote areas of the north and west. These populations are considered to be vulnerable to persecution and other factors and are reported to be decreasing. |
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