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A new documentary counters the myths about the wildest of cats. By Jack Watkins Despite our eagerness to devour reports of wild beasts at large on Exmoor, there are those who still dismiss the existence of Britain's most ferocious mammal, the Scottish wildcat, as a myth.
"In Edinburgh and Glasgow, some people are amazed to hear that there is such a thing.
"They think you must mean a feral or stray domestic cat," says Steve Piper of the Scottish Wildcat Association. "I tell them: 'No, it's a real wild animal. It's like our very own tiger, only smaller.' "
Piper is a 31-year-old independent film maker by profession. He recently shot only the second-ever film to have been made about this elusive beast. It could hardly have been more timely, given that recent scientific findings suggest there are only 400 pure wildcats left, and that the species could be extinct within 10 years. While Piper had originally been intent on making what he describes as a David Attenborough-style documentary, full of behavioural footage, he says he found himself increasingly being drawn into the plight of wildcats after discussions with various wildlife park owners and scientists. Thus, as well as featuring beautiful scenes of the creatures in the Cairngorms, and even on the fringes of the city of Inverness, it also discusses their dire prospects and possible remedies to ensure they have a future at all. The documentary has already been screened at some industry film festivals, two wildlife broadcasters have expressed an interest in showing it and there are plans for it to be given a short release on DVD this summer. A chunk of the profits will be ploughed back into the Scottish Wildcat Association. The film nails a few of the tall tales that have been spread about the wildcat over the decades, while leaving you in no doubt of its fierce, untameable spirit. As recently as the 1950s, it was still maintained that a wildcat was a man-eater, capable of preying on unsuspecting crofters. On the face of it, this seems absurd, given that a superficial perusal of a photo might leave you contemplating its uncanny resemblance to the friendly tabby curled up in front of the fireplace. "All sorts of weird rumours have been circulated, but in a way, it's easy to see how," says Piper. "If you look at stuffed Victorian exhibits of them in museums, they have always been set in very aggressive poses, with huge, false, teeth, twice their actual size. They make them very ferocious beasties." Yet there is no doubt that they were large creatures in the past - measuring 4ft from nose to tail - and that some of these "Stone Age" wildcats still survive in remoter areas, such as Sutherland and Caithness.
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'Pound for pound, they're the baddest cats on the planet'
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It's also true that, if cornered, perhaps by an over enthusiastic dog confusing it with the local moggie, they can be very unpleasant, or as Piper puts it, "pound for pound, no question, the baddest cats on the planet". "We received a reported sighting recently from the owner of a full-grown German Shepherd. "She had heard the dog wailing from the end of the garden, ran out and found a wildcat literally attached to its face, intent on ripping it to pieces. "She beat it off with a stick and it ran off unharmed, but the dog was badly lacerated. Most animal keepers will go into a tiger's cage once it has been kept for a time and becomes more docile. "But go into a wildcat enclosure and, even if it has been kept in captivity since birth, it will still attack you." This wary, instinctive defence mechanism has been instilled by centuries of persecution that eradicated them from England and brought them to the point of extinction early in the last century. Numbers recovered with the decline of the great grouse shooting estates after the First World War and, these days, grouse keepers are often instrumental in their conservation, as are farmers, who recognise their use in controlling the rabbit population. While Scottish National Heritage is carrying out surveys to find regions with the highest concentrations of pure wildcats, with a view to making them protected areas, the biggest current threat to their future is provided by the irresponsible domestic cat owners who fail to prevent their pets straying, or ensure they are neutered and inoculated. "There are around 100,000 stray cats across Scotland, dwarfing the wildcat population," says Piper. "When they cross-breed with the wildcat, the offspring is not as good at coping in the wild. As they grow, they breed with more domestic strays and, before long, there are no wildcats left in the area. "The only thing that can stop this is public action. Neutering will actually be better for the health of their pets anyway." Without a public response, he believes that the fate of Scotland's truest wild heart is sealed. "The scientists have done all they can. The cats could hang on in the remote areas, but you will be talking about very small populations."
The cat whiskers
- Wild cats originally shared Britain with mammoths, cave bears and lions. The current population was isolated here at the end of the last Ice Age, evolving into a unique species, Felis silvestris grampia.
- While bearing a resemblance to the domestic tabby, the wildcat has a squarer, broader head with flatter, outward-pointing ears, and well-defined black and brown stripes in its coat. It has a bushy tail, longer limbs, and walks with a more muscular, "big cat" gait.
- While reported sightings in the Border country and northern England are questionable, the Scottish Wildcat Association (www.scottishwildcats.co.uk) welcomes any full description of possible wildcats, preferably with a photograph.
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