AMAZING ANIMALS

COMEBACK CRITTER: Scottish Wildcats Cairngorms National Park, Scotland A nine-month-old Scottish wildcat hears a squeal that sounds like a hare in distress. Dinner! The cat slowly approaches the sound: an audio recording in a food-filled box. But before the captive-born wildcat can snag its meal, the box snaps shut. The animal is learning that it must move faster to catch a meal if it’s going to survive in the wild. These felines disappeared across Great Britain after years of hunting and habitat loss. But last year, scientists raised and released 19 cats, with more on the way. “If we hadn’t started the program, wildcats would likely be gone from the wild,” conservationist Helena Parsons says. Today, hunting these cats is illegal, and they’re doing well in a protected area. Camera traps reveal the released…

You're reading a preview of

National Geographic Kids (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2024

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.