Britain’s rarest animal given new hope as four wildcat kittens are born at Wildwood

Britain’s rarest animal given new hope as four wildcat kittens are born at Wildwood in Kent.

The kittens have been caught on video by remote cameras at Wildwood Trust near Canterbury – a charity dedicated to the restoration of Britain’s lost wildlife. Video here: https://youtu.be/EOngImJP3dw Wildcats are Britain’s rarest creature and are now classified as "functionally extinct" in the wild.

Click here to watch the wildcats kittens playing with mum Jura

Wildwood’s wildcat Keeper, Sally Holt said: “This outstanding success has come about through decades of hard work; with the most numbers we have ever bred to one mother. “ “This is so rewarding because this is mother Jura’s first ever litter and we are always very worried first-time mums may lose their kittens.” Wildwood’s dedicated keepers have learned over many years how challenging raising wildcat kittens can be and are particularly proud of how well first-time mum Jura is coping. Wildcat numbers are now so low that new research has concluded there is "no longer a viable wildcat population living wild in Scotland". Wildcat Keeper Jack Poncé added: “We are so proud of our lovely kittens, two girls and two boys who are now nine weeks old. Mum has kept them hidden until now, but we hope visitors can start to catch glimpses of these curious youngsters as mum lets them explore their woodland home”

Wildcats once roamed all over the UK, including Kent and the South East. Persecution and habitat destruction drove them north into their last refuges in Scotland, but this year scientists classified them as functionally extinct as so few have been observed. Wildwood Director & Founder Peter Smith said: “This shocking news should spur everyone to call for the immediate reintroduction of wildcats and ensure enough land is rewilded to guarantee their survival.” “After successful reintroductions & habitat protection wildcat numbers are expanding across Europe, once again Britain has been shown up to have one of the most damaged ecosystems in the world, immediate action is needed to rewild the UK and stop the wasteful misuse of our land and natural resources. “ Recent scientific analysis has shown that reintroduction to Kent, Sussex and Surrey would give wildcats the best chance of survival and Wildwood Trust is partnering with other organisations to call for Wildcat reintroductions to be put in place. British Wildcats are just some of the huge range of British animals that can be seen at the Wildwood Park near Canterbury. For more information visit our website at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 01227 712111. Wildwood's 'Wildlife Conservation Park' is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come 'nose to nose' with British Wildlife. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more. Wildwood is situated close to Canterbury, just off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury.                                                    *****ENDS*****   VIDEO / IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST  CONTACT Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111 Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229 Dan Farrow: dan.farrow@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 209617     FOLLOW US Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildwoodtrust Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildwoodTrust Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thewildwoodtrust   ABOUT WILDWOOD Wildwood Trust opened in 1999 as a centre of excellence for the conservation of British wildlife, and was established as a registered charity in 2002. Wildwood is Kent's best British wildlife park. Home to over 200 native animals, past and present and set in 40 acres of beautiful ancient woodland where visitors can see bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers plus many more. As one of the leading British animal conservation charities in the UK, Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain's most threatened wildlife. Wildwood Trust have taken part in many ground-breaking conservation programmes to date, which include, saving the water vole, using wild horses to help restore Kent's most precious nature reserves, bringing the extinct European beaver back to Britain and returning the hazel dormouse & red squirrel to areas where they have been made extinct.

Wildwood Trust Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 info@wildwoodtrust.org