Today is Scottish Wildcat Day.
Happy Scottish Wildcat Day! 🐱🐾
Scottish Wildcat Day was started by me as a way to raise awareness about Scottish wildcats because they are critically endangered.
Scottish wildcats were the species that made me realize the plight of today's natural world and the animals that live within it - when I first discovered the Scottish wildcat I realised how low their population was.
Scottish wildcats have a special place in my heart, because they made me take wildlife conservation seriously and started me on my journey to create Action For Earth and then Scottish Wildcat Day. They also have a special place in my heart because they are the most endangered animal from my home country.
I wanted to dedicate a special day to raise awareness and celebrate these special cats.
Wildcats once existed all over most of Scotland, England and Wales, but sadly, due to their forest home being destroy and being hunted by humans, wildcats now only exist in the highlands of Scotland and are critically endangered.
There is also some happier things about the Scottish wildcats, as they were associated with the Picts - an ancient people that lived in the very North of the British isles, and also were and are associated with a few clans.
Also, Scottish wildcats have a cool nickname, these mysterious cats are also known as the highland tiger.
Scottish wildcats today are an animal that most of us have never seen, and might never see, they are a reminder that animal species can quickly disappear from their historic range, and that even once common species can become endangered.
Wildcats were once common throughout the British Isles, today they are close to extinction, a reminder that just because species are common today, doesn't mean they will always be common, it's a reminder to protect our ecosystems and rewild, so that species we see today continue to be as numerous in the future.
There are hopes for the Scottish wildcat and their future, as efforts are being made to increase their numbers through conservation work and rewilding. Hopefully, we can see the Scottish wildcat as a successful rewilding story in the future.
Happy Scottish Wildcat Day! 🐱🐾
