EFFORTS to protect Scotland's population of pure wildcats have progressed over the winter, with the 'threat-free' region in the West Highlands expanded to almost 800 square miles covering Ardnamurchan, Sunart, Morvern and Moidart.

Covering several connected peninsulas in the West Highlands, which are protected at heavily monitored land bridge choke-points, the Wildcat Haven project has been working closely with landowners and the local community since 2008, to humanely remove the primary threat to wildcats - cross-mating, or hybridisation, with domestic cats.

Chief scientist on the project, Dr Paul O'Donoghue, explained: "It's all about hybridisation - the wildcat is a very capable survivor and prefers to breed with other wildcats, but it's so outnumbered by domestic cats that hybridisation is inevitable.

"This means that over a few generations, those wildcat genes are lost, and you're just left with domestic and feral cats causing big problems for prey species and themselves; domestics are basically desert cats and, unless they're curled by a warm fire every night, they live a miserable existence in the Scottish Highlands."

The team has neutered over 50 cats in the last month and more than 100 in the last year, leaving almost 800 square miles where the entire domestic cat population is neutered, allowing the wildcats to begin rebuilding their population.

De O'Donoghue added: "There's a very clear recommendation from the IUCN that captive breeding shows no evidence of working for wildcats and that every effort must be made to protect them in the wild. A lot of people were saying ten years ago it just wasn't possible to remove the domestic cat threat, but we've shown it can be done. Our first peninsula, 200 square mile Ardnamurchan, hasn't had a report of an intact feral or domestic cat in three years now; soon the only cats left will be neutered pets and farm mousers."

Humane Society International UK executive director Claire Bass added: "This is a fantastic example of compassionate conservation in action. Saving this endangered species is of course a fantastic goal, but we're equally inspired and impressed by the positive impact this work has for feral and domestic cats, humanely stopping uncontrolled breeding into a harsh environment, stopping disease transmission, and promoting responsible pet ownership. Wildcat haven is providing a humane and effective conservation solution, instead of reaching to the gun or poison to remove feral cats, or imprisoning the last remaining wildcats in zoos."

Wildcat Haven is now looking to expand as far as Fort William and open up further Haven regions in the West Highlands.