Creature Feature – Mistaken Identity
Posted by Dustin Horton // January 23, 2022 // Articles, Creature Feature
This week, while researching wildlife topics, I came across an interesting story from across the globe.
While hiking in the Cairngorms – a mountain range in the eastern highlands of Scotland – a man stumbled on a small, tabby kitten freezing to death in the snow. She was unable to stand, and her fur was wet and matted with snow. Recognizing her critical condition, the man carried the kitten three miles back to town and brought her to a veterinarian. He immediately began efforts to find her owner on local Facebook groups, but no one came forward to claim the wee kitten.
The next day, the vet called him to share some startling news: this wasn’t a domestic kitten, after all, but a Scottish wildcat, the only wild member of the cat family in the U.K. and also one of the most endangered mammals in Europe.
Sadly, the baby wildcat died from pneumonia, but her mountain rescuer began a fundraiser to help other Scottish wildcats, which raised public awareness for the species’ plight as well as funds. As a result, the Scottish wildcat breeding program at the Royal Zoological Society saw a jump in their fundraising – all thanks to a compassionate hiker who stopped to help a little kitten in the Scottish highlands.
Article: Margie Manthey
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
