Andrew Langley's Blog - Posts Tagged "scottish-wildcat"

Looks like a domestic tabby cat? Nope, this is the Tiger of the Highlands, the incredible Scottish wildcat, photographed in the wild amidst the dense pines of its native mountain terrain. The first time I ever saw one was in captivity at a wildlife park in the Cairngorms. The keeper, who acted as guide, warned me not to get too close - the previous day the cat in question had clawed through the mesh glove of its handler, leaving him with a nasty scar on his palm.

Years later I was lucky enough to photograph them in the wild and remain in awe of this beast of the north. Now only about four hundred pure bloods remain, and to date no-one has managed to domesticate them. Wild by nature and a survivor of the last Ice Age, they remain an enigma, a true wild spirit of Scotland. My experience getting up close and personal to such a magnificent animal inspired the presence of the wildcat in the second Nathen Turner novel, "Dark Nights of the Soul" due in 2016, and I hope I've done them justice. For several years I worked on a project to raise awareness of the wildcat's plight as our rarest native predator. If you'd like to know more about the latest conservation efforts for this special beast click here.