Wildcat and kitten caught in farmer's field of vision

But now a farmer in the village of Cornhill, near Banff, believes he has managed to photograph a Scottish wildcat.

Also known as the Highland tiger, the wildcat is one of Britain's rarest animals and is a protected species.

The iconic but very wary animals are clinging to survival in a few areas of Scotland with the last survey showing the highest number of positive sightings around the Ardnamurchan peninsular, with others in Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and Perthshire.

The farmer and his wife, who do not want to divulge their identities in order to keep the exact location secret, said: "We have had astonishing sightings in recent days, even seeing the wildcats playing at one point.

"We are in no doubt that they are wildcats. The kitten is about the size of an adult domestic cat, and you would not want the mother sitting on your lap.

"I think if you were confronted by it, you would turn around and walk the other way."

The couple took photographs and video footage of the animals and have borrowed a hide in the hope of getting closer to obtain better images.

"To see a mother and kitten together is extremely rare," the farmer added. "We believe there may be other kittens nearby, and she has been teaching this young one to hunt.

"We have watched the mother hunting and killing big rabbits and taking them into a nearby overgrown area, and we have also seen what we think is the father on his own.

"We have sighted large cats at this time of year from our house for the past four years. Initially we thought we were seeing a wild big cat, but these are most definitely wildcats. "

The Scottish wildcat is said to be rarer than the Bengal tiger. While the number of pure wildcats in Scotland is thought to be around 400, sightings of many more hybrids have confused the picture. Research has recommended that work is done to restrict numbers of domestic and feral cats in wildcat hotspots to minimise interbreeding, one of the biggest threats to the species.

David Hetherington, who heads the Cairngorms Wildcat Project which was set up to safeguard the animals, was sent one of the recent photographs.

He said: "It is difficult to say from the angle and clarity of the pictures whether they are definitely wildcats. I would need to see their coat markings in more detail.

"It would be very exciting if these Cornhill animals were wildcats, but they may also be hybrids between wildcats and domestic or feral cats."Steve Piper, chairman of the Scottish Wildcat Association, said the image he was shown looked promising but said it was difficult to make a positive identification. He said: "What I can see is a nice looking wildcat tail on that kitten and very promising looking body markings.

"All credit to the crofter for getting a photo. At least these cats seem to have chosen a safe place to live, and I hope other people follow the example of enjoying seeing glimpses of a very private life whilst respecting their privacy so much."

He said the association has had previous sightings in the east Highlands from Moray, Huntly, Alford and Blairgowrie.

It plans to use money from American expats and other supporters to humanely remove tens of thousands of feral cats and reforest tracts of land to help the wildcats recover.