Wildcat Behaviour Data Volunteer

RZSS Highland Wildlife Park
Scottish Highlands
Closing date for applications is: 1st Feb 2026
Contact:
Claudia Bell ()
Sector:
Conservation
Type:
Volunteer
Contract type:
Full-time
Salary:
Accommodation provided and expenses of up to £50 a week covered

Saving Wildcats (#SWAforLife) is a European partnership project dedicated to Scottish wildcat conservation and recovery. We aim to prevent the extinction of wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild. The project is funded by EU LIFE and is a partnership project led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland in collaboration with Nature Scot, Forestry and Land Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Nordens Ark and Junta de Andalucía.

Releases are being conducted with the support of Cairngorms Connect and Trap‑Neuter‑Vaccinate‑Return work to mitigate hybridisation (interbreeding) and disease transfer is conducted together with Cats Protection. Please visit the project website for more information:

The role involves assisting the ex‑situ conservation management team (wildcat captive management) with daily behaviour monitoring and observations via CCTV and data recording from enclosures in our Conservation Breeding for Release Centre (CBRC), in an office environment. The data volunteer will volunteer closely with our experienced wildcat keeper team and will be managed by the senior animal keeper and team leader.

Training will be given for using our extensive CCTV system as well as training in the implementation and adherence to a behaviour monitoring protocol and database. Additional duties may also be carried out to support the keeper team including, but not limited to, food preparation, enclosure cleaning, vehicle maintenance, enclosure maintenance and enrichment building. The volunteer will also have the opportunity to learn directly from our keeper team about wildcat behaviour management and breeding prior to their release into the wild.

This role does not include any fieldwork.

The successful candidate will volunteer alongside the project team in the Saving Wildcats office at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig.

This is a full‑time position during office hours, with possible volunteering hours on some weekends as agreed by the senior keeper in advance, up to a maximum of 37.5 hours week. We would like the candidate to start on Monday 9 March and commit until Friday 5 June, with a minimum commitment of three months required, with the provisional opportunity to extend to six months.

If you can only start on a slightly later date, we may also consider this. Please advise your availability in the application. Volunteers are able to take days off as agreed in advance by the senior keeper and team leader.

Data management will be undertaken independently with training and support provided by the ex‑situ team leader. Any additional duties will be carried out under direction of the team leader and keeper team.

Volunteering will give you the opportunity to contribute directly towards conservation efforts for the critically endangered wildcat in Scotland, as part of the Saving Wildcats team. You will learn about the conservation issues affecting wildcats and the actions being taken to prevent their extinction. This includes developing an understanding of the daily activities carried out at the first dedicated Conservation Breeding for Release Centre (CBRC) for wildcats in the UK, and of the field programme that assesses potential release sites and mitigates the threats facing wildcats in Scotland today.

You will gain direct practical experience of CCTV use, species specific behaviour monitoring, data handling and recording, as well as an insight into the design and management of a dedicated conservation breeding for release centre. We’ll provide you with full training and ongoing support from the ex‑situ conservation team.

You will also be provided with accommodation (a private room in a shared hostel located in a town near Highland Wildlife Park), expenses of up to £50 per week, and a discount to be used…