HI All
It's all getting very exciting and we are making great progress on the rehabilitation enclosure for Finlay. The foundations have been dug and the metal framing is going up. We have had a team of 3 people working every hour of daylight for the past week. It will have natural features, trees, dens sites and the fencing is permeable to small mammals and birds, so Finlay can practice hunting. What's also really great is that we have already seen tracks of badgers, foxes and deer around the enclosure site, which means that Finlay will be able to become familiar with other native species before his release.
This enclosure will be much bigger than any wildcat enclosure found in any zoological facility in the UK, but unlike zoo enclosures where animals are put on display to be gawped at, this rehabilitation will be completely off show to allow Finlay to 'rewild' before his release.
Perhaps the most important result of all this, is that it will not just be Finlay that benefits. Any future wildcat in need, will be able to be housed here and have the chance to recover and rehabilitate, before being returned to the wild. Sometimes wildcats are injured, runover, poisoned, snared and currently their only option is to be sent to the zoo where they will never be released. The facility we are building changes all that and gives them a route back to the wild. Perhaps this will be Finlay's most important legacy.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who contributed to this crowdfunder and made our vision a reality. It would simply not have been possible without you.
If you want to find out more about our work then please visit:
Sincere thanks again from Finlay and the whole Wildcat Haven team.