����ý

Great news for cat lovers to get their paws on - wildcat kittens have been born out of captivity at a national park in Scotland.

It's part of the Saving Wildcats project which is trying to save the species from extinction.

A total of 19 wildcats were released in the Cairngorms National Park last year as part of the project.

Dr Keri Langridge, who is part of the Saving Wildcats team, has worked with the species for many years and said they are probably "the first wildcat kittens born in Scotland for a number of years".

The teams who have been working to restore the wildcat to Scotland say at least two of the female wildcats released have given birth in the wild.

Dr Langridge says the team are incredibly excited about the news, particularly since the Scottish wildcat was listed as being on the verge of extinction in 2018.

One major risk facing the species is hybridisation, which is when the wildcats have kittens with other feral or domestic (pet) cats.

A loss of habitat and disease are also said to be some of the risks threatening the Scottish wildcat population.

Wildcats were bred in captivity as part of the project and fitted with a special collars so they could be tracked - after their release in 2023.

Once these kittens are old enough the team plans to take DNA samples from them to check that their dads are in fact male wildcats and not feral or domestic cats.

Dr Langridge says this is the first time she has seen these rare animals in the wild and hopes that they are creatures children will be able to see in the future.

For those concerned about wildcats and their impact on pet cats, Dr Langridge added: “If you have a pet cat it is important that it's healthy, if your cat is neutered microchipped and vaccinated against disease, then it is no threat to wildcats.”