Overview
- A two-year South West Wildcat Project report finds sufficient connected habitat in the region, with mid-Devon highlighted as the strongest candidate area.
- The plan envisages releasing roughly 40 to 50 animals, with no releases expected before 2027.
- Independent University of Exeter surveys recorded strong support, with 71% and 83% of respondents favoring a return.
- The study says wildcats pose no significant risk to people, pets, livestock or protected species, and primarily prey on small mammals; poultry can be safeguarded using existing fox-proofing measures.
- Hybridisation with feral and domestic cats is identified as the key risk, prompting calls for community-backed neutering, with the project led by Devon Wildlife Trust and partners and potential stock sourced from the UK programme managed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.