There is one week to go until Scottish Wildcat Day!
Scottish Wildcat Day was set up by Action For Earth to celebrate and raise awareness about the Scottish Wildcat every 8th of August. That's the good news.
Why do we need this day?
Scottish Wildcats are a critically endangered animal, this means that these cats are very near extinction. It is thought that there could be as few as 35 remaining in Scotland today.
This makes them more endangered than the world's most endangered big cat - the Amur Leopard.
The Amur Leopard
The Amur Leopard is also a critically endangered animal. Just a few years ago, there was only 45 Amur Leopards left in the wild. Amur Leopards are still critically endangered but through conservation work, there are now 84 of them in the wild.
This animal shows that animals can successfully increase this animals numbers, even when it looks like all hope is lost for the species.
The Amur Leopard and the Scottish Wildcat
The Amur Leopard shows us that there is still hope for the Scottish Wildcat. If the Amur Leopard can almost double their population in just a few short years through conservation work, then the same can be done for Scotlands Wildcats. The only thing is - time isn't on our side when it comes to saving Scotlands Wildcats.
The Dangers Facing The Scottish Wildcat
Several dangers facing the Scottish Wildcat today. Their numbers being so low is an obvious one; these animals are dancing on the edge of extinction. But another, silent killer awaits these cats - the destruction of their habitat for wind farms.
These animals could face extinction through the Scottish government clearing forest to make way for wind farms. These forests that are about to be cleared, is an essential habitat for the cats, conservationists say that if the forest is cleared because of wind farms, then the wildcat will become extinct.
That is how close we are to the extinction of the Scottish Wildcat if nothing is done to protect their last remaining habitat.
You can sign the petition below. Almost 250,000 people have added their name to protect the forest, you can help by adding your name and sharing!