It's been a while since the last update; I've been helping with the rescue kittens who have no idea how many people they've made aware of Scottish wildcats. Hidden camera footage of them has been in the news all over the world and getting hundreds of thousands of views online. They were just photographed by Joel Sartore for National Geographic getting a huge response (which I think you can see here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BnGxjOADD75/?taken-by=joelsartore It's amazing to see so much interest in an animal after a lot of years trying to raise their profile.
As you can see in the video, they're doing incredibly well. You can sponsor them, helping with their care until they're released back to the wild, and supporting wildcat conservation such as campaigning for Clashindarroch Forest at www.wildcathaven.com
Word from Clashindarroch is that no logging has been taking place over summer, which we can only hope is a result of this petition (still climbing at 343,000 signatures), and all the wildcat media coverage; Scottish wildcats have never been more visible.
But still no response from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (firstminister@gov.scot) or Scottish Government on the concerns raised, and what appear to be illegal actions by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The wind farm working through planning requirements which include consultations with the local community and stakeholders such as wildlife groups, so there will be opportunity to challenge the development, and I'll keep you all updated with any ways you can help.
Scottish Parliament has been in recess over summer which means a lot of work gets put on hold, but they have just got back and will hopefully see that the more they wait, the more the signatures grow, and the more people that are suddenly aware of this creature and the challenges it faces.
And PS Apologies for the maths error in the last update; 343,000 is almost 6.5% of the Scottish population, though of course people from all over the world have signed, my point is, it's beyond wildest expectations that so many people would give their support, so a very heartfelt thanks again to everyone.