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 wi
thin 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."
