Hunting Wildcat footage captured in Aberdeenshire

Footage showing a Wildcat hunting at night in Aberdeenshire shows previously unknown behaviour, according to a conservation group.

Wildcat Haven said the video, captured at Clashindarroch earlier this month, has shown the animal to stalk its prey and not ambush it like previously thought.

The group believes there to be at least 50 Wildcats in the region, with three found since January, and says it has caught 30 individuals on camera.

The Wildcat caught on camera while hunting (Wildcat Haven).

 

Scottish Wildcat reintroduction

Paul O'Donoghue from Wildcat Haven told BBC Scotland News they were able to assess that it was a wildcat due to coat markings.

"The Wildcat senses the mouse from 10 or 12 metres away and the second the mouse stops the Wildcat leaps on it and bounds away in almost one movement," Mr O'Donoghue said.

"The agility and the prowess is really incredible, you can only see this through an infrared camera."

The organisation has cameras set constantly running in locations in the region for a month at time The hunting Wildcat was spotted in a recent review of footage. 

 

Rare feline

Mr O'Donoghue added: "We're understanding more about habitat use, where these cats are, how they behave and crucially we use that information to inform conservation efforts".

It is hoped the population of Wildcats is increasing in the region with the Clashindarroch thought of as a "key breeding ground". 

Having been described as on the brink of extinction last year, the Scottish population has been boosted by releases, with the scheme reporting a positive start to the project.