22 October 2012 :  Changes are coming....

Our website is going to be having a little makeover in the coming months with a few changes coming your way.

Instead of separate news and blog sections we will be joining them together to make an updates section, hopefully making it easier for you to keep up with the project.

We'll also be adding some educational things for in the classroom and also out-and-about like a 'What to look for' section.

If you think we are missing anything else please get in touch and we may be able to add it to the changes highlandtiger@rzss.org.uk

We hope there isn't too much inconvenience while these changes are happening.
Thank you for your continuing support.

5 October 2012 :   A tale of two kitties on Tuesday night

For those of you in the Trossachs area, I'll be giving an illustrated talk about Scotland's two native felines - the Scottish Wildcat and the Eurasian Lynx - on Tuesday evening in Callander. The event will be hosted by the local branch of the Scottish Wildlife Trust at the Waverley Hotel, Main Street at 1930 and is open to the public. Entrance costs £2 for SWT members and £2.50 for non-members. Maybe see you there!

21 September 2012 :  The future of wildcat conservation

Well folks it's been quite a while since I updated the blog and there has been a lot of media coverage recently which has focused on the Scottish wildcat's parlous conservation status. Since the completion of the Cairngorms Wildcat Project in April, the various organisations involved in wildcat conservation have been taking stock of how the lessons learned from the Project can be applied more widely to benefit the species. The newly-formed Scottish Wildcat Action Group, made up of representatives from several organisations, including public agency, NGO and research staff, met last week at the Scottish Natural Heritage offices in Inverness and agreed to work together to develop the new Species Action Plan.

The final report of the Cairngorms Wildcat Project is available for download from the Cairngorms National Park Authority website here.

4 June 2012 :  Highland Tiger talk tonight in Boat of Garten

I’ll be giving my last, illustrated public talk about the Cairngorms Wildcat Project tonight at 1930 in the Boat of Garten Community Hall. Entry costs £4.50 for Adults (under 16s go free), £4 for RSPB members with membership card, and includes complimentary tea or coffee and free entry to the hall’s Art Exhibition by local artists. If you know anyone who might be interested in coming along to hear how cooperation in the countryside and modern technology are improving our understanding of the rarely seen Scottish wildcat to help save it from extinction, then perhaps you could let them know!

30 May 2012 :  The Highland Tiger Fling

The 2012 Highland Tiger Fling will take place this Saturday at the Tullynessle & Forbes Hall near Alford in Aberdeenshire. It’s in aid of the Highland Tiger Fund, which supports the research and conservation of Scottish wildcats in the Cairngorms National Park. The event will start at 1915 and run until around 2300.

There will be live traditional and modern music (including a piper at the door), dancing, complimentary light refreshments, and you are free to bring your own alcohol. There will also be a wide range of produce and merchandise for sale, much of it with a wildcat theme, including artwork, photographic prints, jewellery, and books. Lots of prizes have been donated to the raffle so far but I believe there are quite a few bottles of malt up for grabs as the distilleries have apparently been very generous. There will also be plenty of the Cairngorm Brewery’s Wildcat Ale to be won. Raffle tickets will be sold and drawn in the hall on the night.

There will also be a live auction for lots of great prizes and packages which you might want to bid for, either for yourself or as a present for someone else. So far auction prizes include:

• Adoption of a Scottish wildcat at the Highland Wildlife Park

• A family experience at the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre. Get the chance to meet the reindeer, pet them and give them something to nibble on!

• A family experience at the Cairngorm Sled-dog Centre - visit the kennels and meet the dogs. You’ll see the Sled-dogs in action as they are continually training.

• One to one tuition with professional photographer Trevor Russell at the Scottish Deer Centre. You’ll have access to Scottish wildcats, deer, lynx, wolves….and many more.

• A trip to Gleneagles Falconry Centre where there will be a session for two to experience handling the birds there. A fantastic experience indeed!

These are only a few of the items up for auction. I understand there are many more, with generous donations of prizes continuing to come in. 100% of the funds raised on the night will be donated to the Highland Tiger Fund, which is administered by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. A team from the RZSS will be on hand to answer wildcat conservation questions throughout the evening. They will also have on offer multiple copies of Peter Cairns & Mark Hamblin’s excellent and lavishly illustrated hardback book ‘Tooth & Claw’, a study of predators and predation which features wildcats, raptors, pine martens, lynx, wolves etc. It normally retails for £20 but on the night a copy can be yours for a minimum donation of £5.

The event is being organised by Maureen Laverman, a wildcat enthusiast from near Alford who organised a similar and successful event in 2010 at the same venue. The event is restricted to over 18s and tickets cost £5. If you are interested in attending, or have any questions about the Highland Tiger Fling, please contact Maureen on m.laverman 'at' btinternet.com.

And don’t forget to bring your wallet!