Most experts agree that one of the biggest threats to the continued existence of the Scottish Wildcat is hybridisation by interbreeding with hybrid, feral, and domestic cats. To reduce the number of non wildcats for real wildcats to breed with, Wildcat Haven have informed that they were engaged in a program of neutering feral and domestic cats. They explicitly claimed to be neutering feral cats both on their website to everybody visiting it, and on Twitter to user #htscam.
Have you guessed yet? Yes, there's a problem.
Feral cats can legally be trapped and neutered without legal issues, but as they are classed as a non native species, they can't be legally released without a license. Nobody at Wildcat Haven has possessed a licence to release feral cats since October 2015. If anyone from Wildcat Haven was to release a feral cat, they would presumably be doing so illegally, and may even be committing a criminal offence. So what has been going on?
The Freedom Of Information documents mentioned in our last post may illuminate the matter. According the FOI documents Wildcat Haven were asked by solicitors Harper Macleod LLP acting for Scottish Natural Heritage the following question.
"Have Wildcat Haven staff/personnel undertaken any cage trapping and releasing of feral cats or wildcats/hybrids since 1/10/2015? If so, how many feral cats or wildcats/hybrids were caught, released and when?"
The response to that question from solicitors Clifford Chance LLP acting for Wildcat Haven is as follows.
"We are instructed that our client has not undertaken trapping or release of feral cats or wildcats/hybrids since 1/10/2015, our client has undertaken neutering of pet cats, for which consent forms from the cats' owners have been provided in every case."
Yet even now Wildcat Haven are claiming on their website "We have done this by humanely trapping feral cats, neutering them and releasing them" and "Neutering programme for all feral cats and low-grade hybrids." A PDF copy of their "What We Do" website page taken on 08/07/2019 can be seen HERE.
If they have not undertaken trapping or release of any feral cats since October 2015 as per instruction to their solicitor, how can Wildcat Haven's claims to be neutering feral cats be true?
Wildcat Haven themselves currently say on their website "The biggest threat to the Scottish Wildcat is hybridisation. More specifically, when genetically pure wildcats mate with feral cats instead of other wildcats, the gene pool becomes diluted and the species (Felis Sylvestris) literally breeds itself out of existense.".
If they are not actually neutering feral cats, which they claim is the biggest threat to Scottish Wildcats, what is the purpose of the organisation? Why would anybody lend support to an oganisation which is lying about one of it's principal objectives?
Have you guessed yet? Yes, there's a problem.
Feral cats can legally be trapped and neutered without legal issues, but as they are classed as a non native species, they can't be legally released without a license. Nobody at Wildcat Haven has possessed a licence to release feral cats since October 2015. If anyone from Wildcat Haven was to release a feral cat, they would presumably be doing so illegally, and may even be committing a criminal offence. So what has been going on?
The Freedom Of Information documents mentioned in our last post may illuminate the matter. According the FOI documents Wildcat Haven were asked by solicitors Harper Macleod LLP acting for Scottish Natural Heritage the following question.
"Have Wildcat Haven staff/personnel undertaken any cage trapping and releasing of feral cats or wildcats/hybrids since 1/10/2015? If so, how many feral cats or wildcats/hybrids were caught, released and when?"
The response to that question from solicitors Clifford Chance LLP acting for Wildcat Haven is as follows.
"We are instructed that our client has not undertaken trapping or release of feral cats or wildcats/hybrids since 1/10/2015, our client has undertaken neutering of pet cats, for which consent forms from the cats' owners have been provided in every case."
Yet even now Wildcat Haven are claiming on their website "We have done this by humanely trapping feral cats, neutering them and releasing them" and "Neutering programme for all feral cats and low-grade hybrids." A PDF copy of their "What We Do" website page taken on 08/07/2019 can be seen HERE.
If they have not undertaken trapping or release of any feral cats since October 2015 as per instruction to their solicitor, how can Wildcat Haven's claims to be neutering feral cats be true?
Wildcat Haven themselves currently say on their website "The biggest threat to the Scottish Wildcat is hybridisation. More specifically, when genetically pure wildcats mate with feral cats instead of other wildcats, the gene pool becomes diluted and the species (Felis Sylvestris) literally breeds itself out of existense.".
If they are not actually neutering feral cats, which they claim is the biggest threat to Scottish Wildcats, what is the purpose of the organisation? Why would anybody lend support to an oganisation which is lying about one of it's principal objectives?
Reply to question from Scottish National Heritage
Wildcat Haven claim to have neutered a feral cat on Twitter posted in February 2017
When I queried this they acknowledged that the website needed updating, as they do say they have not had a licence and therefore have not done any trapping since 2015. Legal position is confusing though as surely cat rescue/welfare organisations trap/neuter/return feral cats?
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