T Clinging by a Words by JANICE HOPPER
CLAW Will a large-scale project that aims to release Scottish wildcats into the Cairngorms save this struggling species?
36 Scotland
he Scottish wildcat is a highly elusive creature that not only holds a valued place in the forests and hills of Scotland, but also within the nation’s history and heritage. The Scottish wildcat is part of the country’s clan culture, with wildcats standing as emblems for Clan Chattan and Clan Macpherson. The ‘Highland Tiger’ is a handsome beast with its thick bushy ringed tail and large size — a wildcat is roughly 1.5 times bigger than a domestic moggy — but this sleek creature is on the brink of extinction. Although the Scottish wildcat has been protected by law since 1988 (making it illegal to kill or disturb a wildcat) such steps didn’t go far enough to protect the animal’s precious gene pool. As recently as 2019 the International Union for Conservation of Nature issued a gamechanging report concluding that there was no longer a viable wildcat population living wild in Scotland. Strenuous and immediate intervention was required, or the prospect of the wildcat being consigned to the history books would become an irreversible reality. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) says: “Once widespread throughout Britain, the UK’s wildcat population has rapidly declined since the 1800s and there is now estimated to be as few as
