Dear All
Thank you so much for all your kind words of support and best wishes for the upcoming Bern hearing in mid September. We will update you as soon as we hear anything. However, we are not just relying on this and have been working on a major project to get the whole Clashindarroch forest, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This would mean that the forest and it’s wildcat would be protected forever. This is our ultimate aim.
We are excited to inform you that last week, Living Law, a specialist environmental law firm, working for Wildcat Haven, have put the Government on notice that it has a statutory duty to designate the Clashindarroch as a SSSI and will launch litigation proceedings if needed to hold it to account.
It is crucial to note that the government has no discretion over designation. If the site can be proven to hold a vital population of wildcats (and it easily can be) then they are simply duty bound to designate. Our ecologists, legal team and field workers have been working together to put forward a water tight case that will trigger designation.
The Scotttish wildcat is critically endangered and one of the rarest animals on earth. Despite this, there is not one single site in the whole of Scotland where their home is protected. There is simply nowhere safe for them to live and breed as we have clearly shown with the Clashindarroch. That needs to change immediately, otherwise we will lose the wildcat forever. We sincerely hope that the government does the right thing without delay.
The media have picked up on our efforts and we have received come great coverage which helps to provide awareness and leverage.
Here is just one of the articles covered in The Herald, a national Scottish newspaper:
Last year the government claimed that the Clashindarroch was a ‘Wildcat wonderland’ due to the density of high scoring cats. However, you will note the comments by the government at the bottom of the article. When questioned last week they appear to have done a U turn and now apparently the Clashindarroch only contains low scoring hybrids. Their nonsense is now being exposed for what is. They are consistently and embarrassingly, contradicting themselves. We hope they do the right thing and designate once they have digested our application. However, if they don’t willingly, then we will ensure they do so through the appropriate legal channels and of course public pressure.
We are moving towards the end game now and as usual we will need your continued help and support. Later this week we will upload the legal documents we have submitted. In the meantime to find out more, support our project and even adopt a magnificent Scottish wildcat, please visit :
Thanks as always
The Wildcat Haven Team