Watch as rare footage shows an endangered young wildcat in the Clashindarroch forest in Aberdeenshire

Rare footage captured in a forest in Aberdeenshire shows a young wildcat, offering proof that they are continuing to breed in the wild.

Wildcat Haven, a grassroots conservation group, captured the footage of the cat thought to be around 14 weeks old.

The wildcat is a critically endangered species and there are thought to be around 35 of them left in the wild making them 70 times rarer than the Giant Panda.

Picture credit: Wildcat Haven

This makes the cat in the video one of the rarest kittens in the world.

Dr Paul O’Donoghue, Director of Wildcat Haven comments: “This is an incredibly important find, the camera was set for 8 weeks and this is the only glimpse we got of what is one of the rarest kittens in the world.

"Just look at perfectly ringed blunt tail and clear leg stripes which are key diagnostic features of the Scottish wildcat.

"This rare footage offers new hope for saving the wildcat in the wild.”

The Clashindarroch forest, the wildcat’s habitat, is currently being logged by Forestry Land Scotland (FLS)

Dr O’Donoghue continued: “We want this kitten to be able to grow up in peace and have kittens of its own next year.

"It is astonishing that the biggest threat to this happening, is logging by government agencies.

" It is simply not acceptable.

"If we have found young pandas in there then it wouldn’t be logged and so why is the magnificent Scottish wildcat suffering this fate.”

The group have launched a petition to make the forest a protected area.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.