Monitoring of Scottish wildcat stepped up

Published on Monday 19 April 2010 22:32

SPECIALIST surveillance equipment is helping experts track one of the country's most elusive predators in its Scottish stronghold.

Motion detectors, infrared technology and spy cameras have been set up in Cairngorms National Park to follow the movement of wildcats, which are on the brink of extinction.

The iconic but secretive animals are now rarer than some tiger species, with estimates that there could be as few as 400 left in the wild.

Dozens of secret monitoring sites have been set up in the park and pictures have already been snapped of pure wildcats, as well as hybrids and other animals such as pine marten, otters and a golden eagle.

Dr David Hetherington, the first dedicated wildcat officer in the national park, said: "These are very useful tools for monitoring animals like wildcats, which are very shy and secretive and in many cases are active at night. The camera traps give us an insight into where the animals are and what they're up to, which is so important in trying to save it from extinction."

He said the new research would give experts information on the number, distribution and behaviour of wildcats across the park area. He added: "Things like footprints and feeding remains could be left by a feral cat. It's not until we get a photograph showing the markings on the fur that we can tell if it's a wildcat."

Wildcats colonised Britain after the end of the Ice Age more than 9,000 years ago. But habitat destruction and hunting for fur saw numbers fall and, by the late 19th century, they were restricted to remote, wooded parts of the Highlands.

The Scottish wildcat is thought by some to have become a separate subspecies, Felis sylvestris grampia, and is also known as the Highland Tiger.

One of the biggest threats facing it is increased hybridisation with domestic and feral cats. There are thought to be at least 100,000 feral cats in the Highlands, and pet owners are being urged to have their cats neutered to stop them breeding with wildcats.

In 2009, the Scottish Wildcat Association charity was set up to protect the elusive predator. Steve Piper, a spokesman, said he was pleased that awareness of wildcat numbers was growing.

He said: "The Cairngorms project is doing a great job of pushing public awareness around the East Highlands especially.

"We hope the camera trap project can keep capturing images and indicating where wildcats, hybrids and ferals are living on that side of the country, so that future conservation work there can be much more targeted. The area has been heavily hit by hybridisation and increased understanding is vital."

But he said more money was needed. He said: "In Spain, 30 million (26m) is being spent on saving the Iberian lynx. In Scotland, the total funding hasn't even made it to 1m. We need to make a bigger commitment to saving the tiger on our doorstep before it's too late."