§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 28 June,Official Report, column 499, for what purpose were the licences to take wildcats issued; and what methods were employed.
§ Sir Hector MonroLicences to take wildcats were issued for scientific purposes to help build up a picture of the number and distribution of wildcats in Scotland.
This involved wildcats being fitted with radio collars to allow their movement in the wild to be tracked, tagging to identify individuals, and the taking of blood samples for genetic analysis.
The wildcats were taken by live-trapping, briefly sedated while being examined or tagged, then released back into the wild.