Hopes for saving Scottish wildcat rest on captive breeding plan

Conservationists say about 80 creatures in zoos and private collections hold key to re-establishment of the endangered species

Fewer than 100 Scottish wildcats are now believed to exist in the wild, say leading experts, with no evidence of any decent sized populations anywhere in the country.

While it had been hoped up to 300 may still survive, recent extensive monitoring suggests a lower figure, with individuals or small groups clinging on in isolated and fragmented pockets.