MAGICAL FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW

Hi All

We hope you are all keeping warm and well during the winter. We wanted to share with you this beautiful photo of cat tracks found deep in the heart of the Clashindarroch forest. Imagine the scene of a magnificent wildcat crossing this log whilst patrolling its territory. We can say with a high degree of certainty that these tracks were made by a wildcat. They were found in a known wildcat territory but also simply because we do not find domestic or feral cats in the heart of the forest. It is just too harsh an environment for them to survive. This is what makes the Clashindarroch so special. It is a huge block of almost continuous forest cover, in an elevated position and it experiences severe winters. This keeps domestic cats out which reduces the risk of hybridisation and ensures that a population of wildcats exists there.

It is always exhilarating when we are carrying out field work and setting camera traps in wildcat forests. They are of course one of the rarest and most elusive animals on earth, but the excitement of catching a fleeting glimpse is a feeling that never diminishes and keep our field workers motivated in even the most extreme of conditions.

The Scottish Wildcat is a hugely significant part of Scottish culture and heritage and plays a key ecological role as the top predator. Imagine if the wildcat disappeared, condemned to extinction through greed and ignorance. The Scottish Highlands just wouldn’t be the same and the magical feeling of hiking in a wildcat forest would be gone.

Well, we won’t let that happen and we are currently carrying out monitoring work across 4 geographic locations in Scotland. We are determined to find and protect every single priceless wildcat.

If you want to help us to continue and expand our work then you please consider these options:

You can adopt a wildcat at the links below. They make great Christmas gifts and are available in postal and digital versions. Simply nominate the recipient and tell us where to post or email the pack. Thanks so much to all of you who have already done this, we really appreciate it.

This is the link for postal adoption packs:

https://www.wildcathaven.com/wildcat-adoption/adopt-a-scottish-wildcat

This is the link for digital adoption packs:

https://www.wildcathaven.com/merchandise/online-adoption

You can of course donate if you wish to at the following link:

https://www.wildcathaven.com/donations-page

We are fighting hard and we are extremely grateful for your continuing support.

Finally, we will provide a full update on Finlay next week but just wanted to let everyone know that he is absolutely thriving and continues to delight us with his fantastic progress.

Very best wishes as always

Emily (Director) and Finlay.