I assume majority of museum specimens very much are well before their local extinction in Scotland .....
To explain more carefully - it is clear that the museum specimens are likely to have been taken before any local extinction or presumably hybridisation. I am sorry if I did not explain in enough detail, as I thought it was clear what I meant, ie that to wait for proof to come from those specimens could take considerable time, even if it is being collected and the results are successful. In that time, any possible pure wild population may or may not have become extinct. I guess that waiting for water-tight scientific evidence of grampia would at least prove to future generations that their predecessors had squandered the opportunity to prevent its extinction; whilst at the same time neatly avoiding adding the domestic cat to the list of invasive species, covered by inadequate, badly thought out, and unfairly enforced European legislation. Not just a bit convenient...!
Some of them are over a hundred years old- e.g. shot/trapped by gamekeepers on the Victorian shooting estates. But I believe there is evidence that hybridisation was evident to some degree even back then, at least in some individuals.
The Scottish Wildcat Action Plan is responsible for recovery of the SW population. They identified five areas(originally six) in Scotland that they focused on to try and establsh whether pure Wildcats still exist, and if not, to what degree hybridisation exists( using DNA and pelage identification techniques) But the vast majority of the rest of Scotland remains completely unsurveyed and there seems no intention of doing so. Reason; Cost? Clashindarroch Forest(which incidentally is in danger of being majorly harvested for timber and windfarm creation) has recently been found to contain a viable population of wildcats which are regarded as being either pure or near pure, yet afaik this extensive conifer forest isn't in any of the five survey areas, or at any rate it was overlooked anyway. This population was found 'by accident' by researchers acting for a different, independent conservation body. How many other populations like that may still exist? We don't know.
Clearly, this remnant population requires urgent intervention and conservation! Development as well as clearfelling stopped and this population afforded highest level of protection under Scottish law
That would mean the SNP doing something useful instead of trying to get a pointless referendum for independence for Scotland.
Do not start us on pointless referenda. .. FYI: even though BJ and his merry band do not want to give Scottish referendum will happen. Remember that Scots voted to remain within EU whether one likes it or not .....
There is a big petition raised exactly for this purpose(save the Clashindarroch wildcats) but so far Scottish Gov't have not acknowledged or acted upon it. My concern is that if remnant wildcat populations can be relatively easily discovered like this, are there other similar unknown populations elsewhere in Scotland also? Disputes over the best ways to conserve Scottish Wildcat are also highly emotive issues among wildcat conservation bodies.
So bloody go file a petition SWT cannot choose to ignore. Issues like these are not likely to change unless the fedup general public go act!
They have nearly 600,000 signatures so far but that doesn't seem to make anyone in Scottish Gov't take any notice(so far.) If you want to know more go to to 'Save Clashindarroch Wildcats' website/Fb page. Its all in there....
While on the subject of petitions we must not forget the earlier news on this site about Sinn Fein's ill-conceived proposals to significantly change, or close, Belfast Zoo. There could be no contribution by Belfast to the Scottish wild cat conservation programme without the Zoo. For what little consolation it is, it does seem that the Sinn Fein suggested closure of Belfast Zoo appears to be a local political one rather than a policy of theirs that would threaten all zoos in Ireland. I see that there is a petition to lobby Belfast City to save their Zoo and it would be good to show our support for the Zoo by signing this: www.change.org/p/belfast-city-council-save-belfast-zoo?
While the zoo is closed during the current crisis, there have been some exciting births: A Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo joey, first spotted on October 22, the 5th joey for the zoo! 1.0 Francois' langur born on March 25 and named Cau vong, which means "rainbow" in Vietnamese. 0.1 maned wolf pup born on February 20 (probably the first for the zoo)! The Zoo | Baby boom at Belfast Zoo!
The first red squirrel kits of the year were spotted this morning, with photos on the zoo's facebook page! Also, now I know its been a while but, the maned wolf pup has been named Kanassa (meaning "bringer of fire" in S. American mythology), following a naming poll on facebook.
Are they all purebred Rothschilds? There used to be a mixed group few years back with about 4 hybrids?
