Staff at
Scotland’s largest single Scottish wildcat action project face
a kitten conundrum in identifying potential young wildcats
captured on camera or spotted
***** Early results from trail
cameras in wildcat priority areas throughout Scotland have
shown a number of kittens. ***** The problem now is
to establish whether they are Scottish wildcats or
hybrids – a cat which contains a significant amount of
domestic cat heritage alongside its wildcat ancestry. ***** Scottish Wildcat Action
is a national conservation effort to save the critically
endangered Scottish wildcat and launched in 2015. It is led by
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and comprises a partnership of
20 organisations. ***** The species’ conservation is an
important feature of the Scottish Government’s 2020
Biodiversity Challenge. ***** Scottish wildcats are one of the UK’s
most endangered species. And the wildcat
A Possible Wildcat Kitten Sighting
in the Angus Glens
work is one of the key projects in the Scottish Biodiversity
Strategy which aims to support the Scottish Government
strategic objectives for a wealthier, fairer, healthier,
smarter, greener, safer and stronger country. ***** Emma Rawling, project
officer for Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA) for Strathbogie and
Strathavon, Aberdeenshire, said: “We have a number of
potential wildcat kittens spotted on-camera and there have
also been sightings recorded by people. ***** “This is the time of year some lucky
people catch a glimpse of wildcat families, and the kittens
usually reach independence in autumn and face a difficult
first winter finding their own territory. ***** “It is very difficult to
tell a wildcat kitten from a domestic tabby cat kitten.
Distinctive markings and stripes of a wildcat that we use to
identify them when
A Possible Wildcat Kitten Sighting
in Strathbogie
they are adults develop over the first few months so
identifying kittens is usually reliant on clues from the cat’s
parentage or, if possible, a DNA test.” ***** And highly encouraging results also
continue to flow in after the launch of a new wildcat app
which allows people to report sightings of possible wildcats
on line. This was launched by Roseanna Cunningham, the
Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate
Change and Land Reform in October 2016. ***** App users can report
sightings of wildcats, hybrids and feral cats and, once
verified, a sighting will be displayed on a map of Scotland.
So far there have been 25 reported sightings and, whilst many
will be feral cats, it is hoped some could be Scottish
wildcats. *****
Roo Campbell,
SWA’s project manager, said: “There have been 25 sightings to
date so almost as many as was reported in all the time since
2011 before we took the app over. ***** “We anticipate that there will be more
sightings as a result of people using the sightings app, and
we would ask the people of Scotland to keep recording
sightings of potential wildcats.” ***** Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA) and the
Mammal Society are behind the new app.
Scottish
Wildcat Action is a partnership project uniting experts from
more than 20 key organisations. Its steering group comprises
Scottish Natural Heritage; Forestry Commission Scotland;
Cairngorms National Park Authority; National Museums Scotland;
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland; Scottish Gamekeepers
Association; Scottish Wildlife Trust; National Trust for
Scotland; The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies -
Edinburgh University.
This article is adapted from a press release issue by
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) [Dualchas Nàdair na
h-Alba] on 3rd November 2016. SNH is the
Scottish government's adviser on all aspects of nature
and landscape across Scotland. Their role is to help
people understand, value and enjoy Scotland's nature now and
in the future.
