Port Lympne’s Scottish Wildcats have been given a chance to see the park from a different point of view with the construction of special raised walkways.

Better View for Visitors

The raised walkways, enclosed in a mesh tunnel, extend from the cats’ enclosures and travel around an area of the park before returning to the enclosure once more. The innovative system allows the cats to wander around a much larger territory. As well as allowing the cats to explore much more of the park, the walkways also afford visitors a better view of the often shy and elusive animals as they travel around the walkways and sit out in new vantage points. The walkways were funded by contributions from a campaign run by Your Cat Magazine, run through The Scottish Wildcat Association.

Wildcat in Walkway - photographs by Neville Buck

One of World’s Most Endangered Cats

Head Small Cat Keeper, Neville Buck, who is holder of the Studbook for this species, commented:

‘People don’t often realise we have one of the world’s most endangered cats right here in the UK. Our new walkways allow the cats greater freedom to explore, as well as being a good way to significantly increase the area available to them. They can travel a large distance at a variety of heights, through trees and in areas they wouldn’t normally be able to go. The cats absolutely love them and we are delighted they have been so successful!’

Wildcat in Walkway - photographs by Neville Buck

The largest of the wildcat family, Scottish Wildcats weigh in between 5-9kg – around 50% larger than your average domestic cat. Scottish Wildcats live primarily in woodland but since the rapid deforestation of Scotland at the beginning of the 1900’s, they have adapted to live in mixed habitats including farmland.

Steve Piper, Chairman of the Scottish Wildcat Association, commented:

“We’re overjoyed to have been able to put Your Cat together with the Aspinall’s team to create these fantastic walkways for their wildcats, as anyone who likes cats knows, they love having a high viewpoint and, poised on the very edge of the North Downs looking out on miles of Kent’s beautiful Romney Marshes and the distant English Channel, this really is quite a view. I grew up in Kent visiting the Aspinall’s parks regularly with my parents and they’ve always been at the absolute forefront of caring for endangered species, we’re very fortunate to have their expertise helping lead the Scottish Wildcat captive breeding program and we look forward to finding more opportunities like this one to help them continue to expand, improve and lead captive breeding efforts.”

Release Programme for Cats

The Aspinall Foundation’s Port Lympne Wild Animal Park hopes to be at the forefront in breeding the Scottish Wildcat. The park has now got eight cats and in the future hopes to coordinate a release program. These elegant animals are almost impossible to see in the wild, so the new walkways offer a perfect opportunity to observe them. For further information about visiting the Scottish Wildcats at Port Lympne, or to adopt a cat, please visit www.aspinallfoundation.org

Find out more about the Aspinall Foundation Maestro Prepaid Card now.

In late 2008, a young male Fishing Cat named ‘Rajatha’ was sent to Port Lympne in the hope that the small carnivore section could, once again, prove their consistent ability to create successful breeding pairs in a species that is regarded as notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. Rajatha, dubbed the ‘killer cat’ due to his past record of killing or seriously injuring any females that he was placed with, was considered to be something of a lost cause amongst the captive population. As a last resort, he was sent to Port Lympne to see if anything could be done to find a mate for this rebellious cat! Not only did the small carnivores section manage to pair him up within the space of a few short months, they were recently delighted to discover that his new mate has just given birth to their first litter.

Late last year, we were all saddened by the sudden demise of one of our Howletts male silverback gorillas, Kijo. During his 33 years he had sired 24 young, but it seems his legacy continues even after his passing. Two females in his group had in fact fallen pregnant in 2008, and in July and August of 2009 an additional two babies were born to dams Dihi and Kimba II. In total, four baby gorillas have been born across both parks, and two at the projects in Congo and Gabon – what better way to commemorate the Year of the Gorilla in 2009?