Quick March

Some of us, such as Doug, Scott, Geoff,  and myself in the SALPD share a common clan, the Clan Chattan. The Clan Chattan was a confederation of several clans that consisted of theClans  Davidson, MacPherson, MacGillvary, Shaw, MacLeans, MacIntyre, MacThomas and MacKintosh/MacIntosh chiefs being at the head. Most but not all, of the clans also shared a common symbol in their crest, a Scottish Wildcat and variations of the wording ” Touch not the Catt bot a glove”.  If you’ve ever seen a Scottish Wildcat, you will understand why Highlanders looked upon them as a strong symbol.

It was the Scottish Wildcat that these Highlanders identified with; fierce, to themselves, elusive, and free. The wildcat once populated all of Europe and all of Britain, but with the constant battle with mans expansion into its’ natural domains, the Wildcat by the mid 18th and 19th centuries was only to be found left in the Highlands of Scotland. I had the privilege of visiting the Cairgorms National Park in Badenoch, back in 2000 before it was being declared officially as a Park and there was talk of an exhibit being constructed for the wildcats to help nuture injured animals. I plan on returning this coming year to see how it has come along. At a glimpse the Scottish Wildcat may appear like the typical Tabby Cat, but they are much larger and the markings are a wee bit bolder, plus there’s no petting to be tolerated by these lads. If cornered, they’d tear a grown man to shreds before you could scream “here kitty kitty”.

Today, sad to say, there is only estimated to be 400 of the animals left wild in Scotland. Their biggest adversary, next to man, is the encroachment of domesticated cats, which they are now inter breeding with and producing fertile hybrids. Along with diminishing inter-breeding, feline Leukemia is passed on from their domestic cousins into the population. Please follow the link I’ve added. Maybe you would like a copy of the DVD that’s come out on the website I’ve listed, or even maybe contribute to the wildlife fund on their site to help. Those who believe in preserving Scotland’s natural treasures would surely agree.

http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 2:04 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.