The Scottish wildcat is the only remaining wild cat in Britain today. It is now a highly endangered species as its numbers have been declining over the last 2000 years. It is only found in North and North East Scotland.
There are several factors responsible for the decline in numbers of the Scottish wildcat:
1) Natural hybridization with the domestic cat which started after the Romans invaded and brought over the domestic cat ( Kilshaw 2010). Even today, a great many feral cats live in the wild and mate freely with the Scottish wildcat, thus causing the wildcat genes to slowly dilute and get lost in the domestic cat gene pool. This could lead to total genetic extinction of the wildcat.
2) Persecution: in the Middle ages, wildcats were hunted for their fur and also persecuted by farmers as they would kill chickens and lamb. Later, hunters and gamekeepers on sporting estates considered wildcats as ‘vermin’ which needed to be controlled and destroyed as many as they could find (Davis and Gray 2010). Gamekeepers were even paid a sum of money for every dead wildcat they could bring to their landowner or specimen brought to a museum. Nowadays, Scottish wildcats are often mistaken for feral cats and either captured or killed.
3) Destruction of their natural habitat through deforestation for agricultural purposes and spread of more and more human settlement. Wildcats live in wooded areas and deforestation means less prey available.
4) Disease transmission through contact with domestic and feral cats (fighting, mating or contact with faeces). Feline leukemia and Cat flu viruses may be the most lethal.
In conclusion, one can say that hybridization is not the only cause of declining wildcat populations but it is the most pernicious as it is so difficult to monitor and control.
References
Charlie Cooper, 2013 will decide whether the Scottish Wildcat lives or dies, www.theindependent.co.uk
Robin McKie, Why the Scottish Wildcat is staring extinction in the face, www.theguardian.com
www.scottishwildcats.co.uk
There are several factors responsible for the decline in numbers of the Scottish wildcat:
1) Natural hybridization with the domestic cat which started after the Romans invaded and brought over the domestic cat ( Kilshaw 2010). Even today, a great many feral cats live in the wild and mate freely with the Scottish wildcat, thus causing the wildcat genes to slowly dilute and get lost in the domestic cat gene pool. This could lead to total genetic extinction of the wildcat.
2) Persecution: in the Middle ages, wildcats were hunted for their fur and also persecuted by farmers as they would kill chickens and lamb. Later, hunters and gamekeepers on sporting estates considered wildcats as ‘vermin’ which needed to be controlled and destroyed as many as they could find (Davis and Gray 2010). Gamekeepers were even paid a sum of money for every dead wildcat they could bring to their landowner or specimen brought to a museum. Nowadays, Scottish wildcats are often mistaken for feral cats and either captured or killed.
3) Destruction of their natural habitat through deforestation for agricultural purposes and spread of more and more human settlement. Wildcats live in wooded areas and deforestation means less prey available.
4) Disease transmission through contact with domestic and feral cats (fighting, mating or contact with faeces). Feline leukemia and Cat flu viruses may be the most lethal.
In conclusion, one can say that hybridization is not the only cause of declining wildcat populations but it is the most pernicious as it is so difficult to monitor and control.
References
Charlie Cooper, 2013 will decide whether the Scottish Wildcat lives or dies, www.theindependent.co.uk
Robin McKie, Why the Scottish Wildcat is staring extinction in the face, www.theguardian.com
www.scottishwildcats.co.uk