Tail of the unexpected: pictures add to mystery of Mull wildcat (Via Paul Cropper)

Tail of the unexpected: pictures add to mystery of Mull wildcat
3 May 2010
The Herald

© 2010, Herald & Times Group

A RARE Scottish wildcat spotted on an Inner Hebridean island could have swum there, according to an expert.
The animal, known as the Highland Tiger, was seen on Mull, which is approximately one mile from the mainland.
There have been unconfirmed sightings on the island before, but experts said photographs taken by holidaymaker Peter Harris gave the clearest evidence yet of the cat’s presence.

There are thought to be only around 400 pure wildcats left in Scotland, though there are also an estimated 3500 hybrid wildcats.

Mr Harris, 34, spotted the carnivore near the Glengorm Estate in the north of the island while he was visiting Mull with his wife last week. He said: “I noticed it crouching in the undergrowth, silhouetted against the dried grass, and I was pretty sure straight away that it was a wildcat because I had seen them at the wildlife park at Kingussie and I saw the thick black stripe on its back and its bushy tail.

“We pulled over and got out of the car and I could see it cleaning itself. There was a ditch between the road and the grass verge where it was sitting so it didn’t seem too alarmed when I went nearer to take photos, and watched me with a rather wary eye.

“We were incredibly lucky because it stayed there for about 10 minutes before turning round and slinking off into the undergrowth, I feel very privileged to have seen it because it is a truly magnificent and iconic Scottish animal.”

Steve Piper, of the Scottish Wildcat Association, said he was surprised to find that one of the animals had made it to the island. There are no bridges linking Mull to the mainland, but the animal could have swum from the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, which is around a mile from Mull at its narrowest point. Mr Piper said: “It could have got there by swimming. They are pretty decent swimmers, though it seems a long way for a cat to get all the way over to Mull.

“Wildcats are not scared of water like a domestic cat. From the photos it’s not necessarily a pure wildcat but it has very nice markings and that rough coat and that wild sort of look to it and the thick tail. It’s very helpful to get photos of sightings because we really don’t know too much about where they live.”

It is unlikely the hybrid stowed away on a ferry, as wildcats are afraid of humans. Another possibility could be that it was found in the wild on the mainland as a kitten, handed to an agency to rehome and subsequently taken to Mull. Hybrid wildcat kittens look like domestic kittens and the fact that they are not only emerges as the animal matures. Mr Piper now hopes to take a team to the island to investigate the sighting.

Wildcats look like large, muscular tabbies, but can be distinguished by their rough coat with distinctive tiger-stripe markings, their thick tail with black rings, and a black stripe along the back extending on to the tail. The endangered predators now live mainly in the north of Scotland. They were once found across the British mainland, but habitat loss and interbreeding with domestic cats have led to numbers falling dramatically, and only a small population still survive.

Scientists have launched a groundbreaking study to trace the movements of wild cats in Cairngorms National Park, using specialist equipment including motion detectors, infra-red technology and camera traps.
They have set up a series of camera traps in the park in the hope that pictures will provide vital information to help them learn more about the cat’s habits, which could ultimately help save it from extinction.