05 April 2011

Rare 'Highland Tiger' spotted

Rare ... a fleeting glimpse of wild feline
Rare ... a fleeting glimpse of wild feline

This is no ordinary fluffy feline — it is one of the world's rarest mammals.

The elusive Scottish wildcat was caught on camera by the National Trust for Scotland.

The NTS set up special surveillance equipment in the grounds of Leith Hall estate in Aberdeenshire after a handful of people reported seeing the animal in the area.

And the stripy "Highland Tiger" was snapped less than a week after the cameras were installed.

There are currently less than 400 of the critically endangered animals living in the wild.

Endangered ... Scottish wildcats
Endangered ... Scottish wildcats

Rob Dewar, a nature conservation adviser, said the moggy was spotted in early March.

He explained: "Leith Hall nestles below open moorland and plantation forests deep in the Aberdeenshire countryside and is a haven for wildlife.

"Sightings of Scottish wildcats had been reported on Craigfall Hill but was it really here? That is why we decided to set up the new wildlife surveillance cameras in the hope of catching the Highland Tiger on camera."

He added: "Today, the greatest threat to wildcats is through hybridisation with domestic or feral cats rather than habitat loss and persecution.

"The concern that we may lose the pure strain of Scottish wildcat has resulted in research across the Highlands to determine the numbers, distribution and genetic make-up of the cats.

"We are really pleased that, less than a week after the cameras were installed, we had a result. There are a number of features used to determine how wild the cat is, notably the size, markings and shape of the tail.

"It would appear that the Leith Hall wildcat shows particularly strong features and is indeed especially wild."

Conservationists at the NTS said further research will now be carried out in the area to find out more about the under threat animal.

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