Excitement mounts on reserve as wildcat watchers strike lucky

Published on Monday 9 June 2008 22:51

WILDLIFE enthusiasts have twice managed to catch rare glimpses of a wildcat on a Highland nature reserve.

The camera-shy beast was sighted on the Rothiemurchus estate near Aviemore – and it is believed it could have been protecting a litter of kittens.

Less than 400 Scottish wildcats roam the Highlands and they face a serious threat of extinction within the next decade.

In a bid to protect the species, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) launched a Wildcat Survey at the end of 2006 and asked tourists and workers to report any sightings to them.

Adrian Davis, who is co-ordinating the survey, said he had received about 100-150 responses but a number of them – such as sightings in the middle of Glasgow – had to be discounted.

"I would say a sighting is a very rare experience," he said. "People like rangers, don't really see wildcats normally.

"It's a very rare thing on the whole, but there are one or two (people] who may be lucky enough to live next to one and see it more often."

The Rothiemurchus resident has been spotted twice in the last month, from a hide in the forest operated by Speyside Wildlife.

Sally Dowden, owner of the firm and a director of tour operator body Wild Scotland, whose clients saw the wildcat, said: "

I don't know who was more excited, the guests or the guide."