Wildcats have been resident in Britain for over 2 million years; sharing the land with the mammoth, cave bear and cave lion long before mankind had found their way through the forests of Europe. The current population was isolated here some 9000 years ago as the last ice age ended and sea levels rose separating the British Isles from mainland Europe. Those cats evolved into a unique subspecies Felis Sylvestris Grampia; the Scottish wildcat.
These are no domestic tabbies, feral cats or farm cats run wild, they're Britain's last wild feline and infamous amongst experts for being the wildest of all wild animals; an untameable and deadly predator capable of surviving the harshest of winters in the Scottish Highlands. Today, after centuries of persecution, deforestation and competition from introduced species there are less than 400 Scottish wildcats left in the world and extinction could be as little as ten years away.
Last of the Scottish Wildcats is only the second film ever to document a cat in the wild that even many Scots believe to be no more than a myth. It is the first to fully investigate the threats facing the cat's future and the solutions proposed to protect it through detailed interviews with a range of stakeholders and several leading experts, providing a complete picture of Britain's last native feline.
Coffee Films will be donating 50% of profits to the Scottish Wildcat Association.
&i;"... counters the myths about the wildest of cats, featuring beautiful scenes of the creatures in the Cairngorms it also discusses their dire prospects and possible remedies to ensure they have a future at all."&o; - Sunday Telegraph
&i;"A fascinating insight into wildcats and the issues surrounding their conservation, and raising a lot of important issues about how we manage the development of wild areas in Scotland."&o; - Tim Martin, Series Editor, BBC Natural World.