 |  |
|
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.
We have pledged to donate 50% of all our profits from the sale of this DVD to the Scottish Wildcat Association, the only charity dedicated to conserving the Scottish wildcat, as an approximate guide we expect to donate around £4 per DVD sold through this website.
The Cairngorm mountains (still from the film), Steve Piper
Appearances The UK Telegraph newspaper recently interviewed director/producer Steve Piper about the film and the conservation of wildcats; read the interview here, and thanks to the Telegraph team for running the trailer on their web TV channel Telegraph TV! GMTV Scotland used clips from the film to illustrate a feature on SNH's Scottish wildcat survey when it was announced in February 2008. The Arkive project; set up to collect video and photographs of Britain and the world's most endangered species, has accepted the donation of several shots from the film to represent the Scottish wildcat, apparently it takes a while for the videos to be added though! Stills from the film were donated to the Scottish Wildcat Association and the United Nations Environment Program for use on their websites and materials after discovering they had no file images available to them. A still and information from the film will be appearing in the latest edition of The Speyside Way from Rucksack Readers, a walking guide to the area we shot a lot of the film in; thanks to authors Jacquetta and Jim for their support!
Our friends at Rewind Video ran a short story on us leading up to Wildscreen, read it here.
Osprey hunting at Rothiemurchus Estate (still from the film), Steve Piper
Festivals, Screenings and Markets Scottish wildcat hunting in the Cairngorm foothills (still from the film), Steve Piper
|
"... 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."
"By pulling together some stunning photography, an atmospheric score and some unequivocal discussions with some of the people directly involved in the ongoing survival of this species, director Steve Piper has made a genuinely fascinating, and inspiring, documentary.
"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." |
|
Return to the top of the page All content ©2008 Coffee Arts and Media Ltd |