I think this story very much lends itself to an infographic as the technique described for attempting to restore the hybridized Scottish wildcat to its pure former pure self is essentially straightforward although technically it is a very tricky process that might not work satisfactorily. In order to be a success, it has to be 100% successful which is uncertain and it will certainly take generations of new, purer wildcats to achieve the end goal.
Introgression: The transfer of genetic material from one species or population to another through hybridization and backcrossing. De-introgression means to reverse the process of introgression. My understanding is that it will be achieved by artificially selecting the purest wildcats and mating them over generations. This will remove the impure genes from the domestic and feral cats that now reside in the Scottish wildcat.
“The process is known as de-introgression and it is the scientific equivalent of trying to unscramble an egg,”
Dan Lawson of Bristol University, who is the genomics leader for the project.
RELATED: Information about the hybridisation of the Scottish wildcat
The Scottish wildcat is a European wildcat. The Scots like to think that the cat is all their own. 💕🙄 But in truth the species is a European wildcat and I know of no studies or expert opinions that say the Scottish wildcat is a specific subspecies different to the European wildcat. Wrong? Tell me in a comment please.
