The Scottish Wildcat - on the verge of extinction

[creagdhubh]

One of you Chattan folks should edit the wikipedia page on wildcats. It goes on at some length about Clan Sutherland using the wildcat as a symbol but not a peep about Chattan.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Nathan.

[Theyoungkiltman]

One of you Chattan folks should edit the wikipedia page on wildcats. It goes on at some length about Clan Sutherland using the wildcat as a symbol but not a peep about Chattan.

I see somebody fixed this. Thanks and slainte!

[Alan H]

News on the Scottish Wildcat Tartan front- I've heard back from one of the Wildcat Haven lads and they are interested in the project. He's even gone so far as to read through this thread and is encouraged by the awareness and interest. They'd like to talk on the phone.

I've also heard back from Knockando, but their response is a bit more "let's talk", which is only natural.

The issue is, of course, that I'm in the United States and the Haven and Knockando are in Scotland. TransAtlantic calls are a bit pricey! However, if we get a few more go 'rounds of e-mail and things start sounding good, I'll pick up the telephone.

I'm going to start a Scottish Wildcat Tartan thread, as I'm getting fairly serious about this project, now. Further updates will be there.

[creagdhubh]

News on the Scottish Wildcat Tartan front- I've heard back from one of the Wildcat Haven lads and they are interested in the project. He's even gone so far as to read through this thread and is encouraged by the awareness and interest. They'd like to talk on the phone.

I've also heard back from Knockando, but their response is a bit more "let's talk", which is only natural.

The issue is, of course, that I'm in the United States and the Haven and Knockando are in Scotland. TransAtlantic calls are a bit pricey! However, if we get a few more go 'rounds of e-mail and things start sounding good, I'll pick up the telephone.

I'm going to start a Scottish Wildcat Tartan thread, as I'm getting fairly serious about this project, now. Further updates will be there.

Well done, Alan! Well done indeed. Thanks for leading the charge in this worthy endeavour. I look forward to the updates.

[Carlo]

The issue is, of course, that I'm in the United States and the Haven and Knockando are in Scotland. TransAtlantic calls are a bit pricey! However, if we get a few more go 'rounds of e-mail and things start sounding good, I'll pick up the telephone.

Have you ever thought about skype/other internet based voice communication?

[Alan H]

Yes, I can do skype! I don't know if the Knockando and Wildcat Haven people can, though! It's certainly worth asking!

Wildcat Haven is a small organization, maybe only about 5-6 people. I know that the fellow I'm in contact with spends a LOT of his time out in the field. After all, what they are trying to do takes a LOT of time, both trapping feral housecats and sterilizing them (they don't kill the feral cats, they make it so that they can't breed so that they don't produce wildcat hybrids) and doing a ton of public awareness work.

[grizzbass]

I read about a wildlife park that was going to be created in Scotland when I visited several years ago that would not only provide a safe haven for the wildcat but even talked about introducing larger predators. I haven't been to Scotland much, maybe a total of 3 days and perhaps two weeks total in England and wales and as beautiful as I find it one of the things I missed as I hiked and traveled was wildlife. I love hiking in our national parks but one of the major thrills comes from finding a paw print, fresh scat or the actual wild animal. We have much more to do here but there are many successes in our struggles and I hope they can manage to save their natural heritage.

[Alan H]

Natural environments are tricky things for people to manage. We were at the Dundreggan estate this July. That's the home ground for a group called "Trees for Life" which is all about restoring Caledonian Forest habitat, which is what you see in Glen Affric and on a few islands, here and there, that were never logged. They have a problem.....ferns. In Scotland it's called bracken. Since the climate is so wet, ferns grow well. Because they're low in cholorphyll and other nutrients, but high in cellulose, which makes them hard to digest, not many animals eat bracken/ferns.

But wild boars DO eat bracken. So Dundreggan has fenced off a few acres and has introduced boar into that space. They're doing what boar and pigs do, ripping up the sod something incredible and eating bracken (and excreting bracken-filled poop all over the place). This is all good, but the problem is that those animals are seriously aggressive. You don't want to get in the enclosure with them unless you're armed and you know what you're doing. Having historically-accurate numbers of wild boar roaming around large parts of Scotland, unfenced is problematic...someone is going to get hurt. On the other hand, they'd provide a FANTASTIC hunting opportunity for people like Jock Scot, who operates a hunting lodge. I'm sure that Jock would be delighted to add "Boar" to his roster of animals on his property that may be hunted.

What ate wild boar, in past centuries, in Scotland? Answer....wolves. Now, THERE is a problem.