Meow-valous news as Edinburgh Zoo celebrates births of two critically endangered wildcat kittens

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is celebrating the birth of two critically endangered wildcat kittens at Edinburgh Zoo.

Staff at the zoo say the kittens will be named in the coming weeks.

Alison Maclean, carnivore team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “We are thrilled to have welcomed the birth of two wildcat kittens in September, to mum Caol Ila and dad Talisker.

“The youngsters are doing well and we will be asking for the public’s help to name them in the coming weeks.”

One of the new arrivals at Edinburgh Zoo stays close to its mother.

Wildcats are one of Scotland’s rarest and most threatened mammals and The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is leading a new partnership project, Saving Wildcats, based at the charity’s second site, Highland Wildlife Park.

The conservation breeding and release of wildcats is being carried out by the Saving Wildcats partnership led by RZSS in collaboration with NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Norden’s Ark and Junta de Andalucía.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.