The plight of the Scottish Wildcat

Time is running out for the Scottish wildcat, conservationists warn.  It could be extinct within a matter of months if last ditch efforts to save the rarest mammal in Britain are unsuccessful.

Scottish Wildcat - Kevin Law - CC BY-SA 2.0

 The Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris grampia), is very similar to a domestic tabby but have a broad tail with black bands.  They are much bigger and stronger and are renowned for their ferocity and have a reputation for being untameable.

It has out lived the bear, wolf, and the lynx to become Britain’s largest wild predator.   Once virtually the whole of Britain’s mainland was the hunting ground for the wildcat but now only small, scattered populations in the remote regions of Scotland remain.  Read more