Scottish wildcat profile

The Scottish wildcat, Felis silvestris grampia, is Britain’s only remaining large wild predator and has lived in Scotland for hundreds of thousands of years.

The animals resemble a muscular domestic tabby, with brown and black stripes, a thick coat, and a ringed tail.

Males in Scotland typically weigh 6-9kg, and females 5-7kg – about 50 per cent larger than an average domestic cat.

They were persecuted in Victorian times, when bounties were paid to gamekeepers to kill the cats.