LOGGING DURING THE BREEDING SEASON CONFIRMED- WE HAVE All BEEN LIED TO

We wanted to update you on the evidence of logging in the Clashindarroch during the wildcat breeding season. The logging had been carried out by Forestry Land Scotland (Formerly the Forestry commission Scotland). As you will remember, many of you directly contacted the Chief Executive, Simon Hodgson raising your concerns. In the response to your emails, you received a standard response from a regional Manager called David Leven, stating categorically that they had not carried out logging during the breeding season. We simply didn't believe the response and so we followed up and requested further information.

We now have the further information and it confirms that logging was indeed carried out during the breeding season. Forestry Land Scotland have admitted to logging during January and February. February in particular is arguably the most important time in the breeding season as it the time when mating is due to occur and females are pregnant. Disrupting mating and stressing pregnant females means less wildcat kittens being born. It's simple biology. The birds and the bees. See the first image below which is found in a government document. It shows that February is a crucial time in the breeding cycle.

Further, their response states that they apparently surveyed the site for 8 months prior to logging. So why not carry out operations in November and December. Why carry them out at the most crucial mating time for Scottish wildcats? As we say, no mating, no kittens, no dens to disturb. Ask yourself this. If you wanted to prevent a population from growing, when would you choose to disturb it....

We will leave you to draw your own conclusions as to the timing of the logging.

The facts are that yet again, Forestry Land Scotland, who claim to be partners in the government wildcat conservation plans, have been caught logging in the breeding season and had the nerve to lie to us all about it.

More betrayal, more lies, and it is once again the precious population of wildcats that suffers. Remember, if we were not monitoring in the Clashindarroch, then this disturbance and destruction would go on unchecked and unnoticed. The wildcat would have no voice.

You can see the letter from Forestry Land Scotland below which confirms logging in the breeding season below.?See point 1 on page 2.

We will be following up on this information with the Forestry Stewardship Council as we strongly believe that the actions of Forestry Land Scotland in the Clashindarroch, breaches the conditions of certification and accreditation. We will keep you all posted and ask you to join us in our complaint. You may also want to follow up on the responses that you received from Forestry Land Scotland, in which you were all blatantly provided with misinformation.

We will update you all fully on Finlay next week. He is progressing well.

Thanks as always

The Wildcat Haven Team ( and Finlay)