Chapters
1. Scotland
2. The Scottish Wildcat
3. Wildcat culture
4. Mike Tomkies
5. Captive breeding
6. Evolution
7. Habitat loss
8. Persecution
9. Legal protection
10. The domestic cat
11. Wildcat or feral?
12. Mating and courtship
13. The hybrid wildcat
14. The ways ahead
15. End credits

The Making of the Film

Bonus video clips:
Extended Interview with Mike Tomkies
Extended Interview with Sandy MacPherson

Photo gallery
Wallpapers and web banners
Web links

DVD-Rom Extras (internet connection required):
Wildcat, Hybrid or Domestic?
More Mike Tomkies
Trailers for DVD
Go Wild With Your Camera DVD Trailer

But this is no swift bandwagon production. Steve has spent four years finding and filming wildcats, and then doing the same with Britain's leading wildcat authorities. One of the most impressive features of this presentation is the enthusiasm with which these scientists approach their involvement. There has been amateur enthusiasm for wildcats for decades, even centuries, but this has always been limited by the animal's legendary ferocity - 'one of the world's most dangerous predators.'

Expert speakers include Professor David MacDonald, Director of Oxford WildCRU, Peter Cairns of Tooth and Claw, Dr Andrew Kitchener of the National Museums of Scotland, and Professor Colin Galbraith of Scottish Natural Heritage. There are also valuable contributions from Allan Paul, who has had hands-on experience of wildcat breeding for years, and Alastair MacLennan who speaks for the farmers, with knowledgeable contributions from other experts. A notable speaker is Mike Tomkies, who has written widely admired books about his own efforts to conserve the cats. For many enthusiasts, including Allan Paul, these books will have been their first introduction to wildcats.

The introduction of the 'tiger of the Highlands' is followed by its description, with lengthy shots of a hunting wildcat - a 'fearsome presence in mists and rain.'

'Touch not the cat 'bot a glove' is the motto of Clan Chattan; the animal is an icon used in business advertising; and the Highland Wildlife Park is well aware of the value of its wildcats as a draw to tourists. Wildcats are deeply engrained in Scottish heritage. Enthusiasts such as Allan Paul now understand the need to breed them in captivity to protect the species from extinction. Paul is critical of past unorganised breeding attempts but appreciative of Mike Tomkies' successes. A lengthy interview with Tomkies sheds some light on the appeal of these animals - they are 'Indomitable, shy, clever, they move silently ... they will fight to the death for their freedom.'

Paul then details his experiences with breeding wildcats, leading into a description of the prehistory and history of the wildcat in Britain. This in turn leads into a lengthy exposition of wildcat conservation, the need to find characteristics by which they can be recognised so that they can be protected, and the vital need to protect them from hybridisation with domestic cats. Perhaps the outlook is more hopeful now than for many years - the cat's needs are better understood and work is at last in hand to ensure its protection.

But this film is much more than a procession of talking heads. To set the scene there is a selection of wonderful views of Scotland's wild places, and a brief insight into the world of that other, famously successful, icon of Scottish wildlife conservation, the osprey. Piper's wildcat photography is excellent, with impressive shots of wildcats in action, both outside and in captivity. The DVD includes the first film of wildcats mating.

Wildcats are little-known, even to the average wildlife enthusiast, and there is much to explain. This is only the second film to be made about the Scottish wildcat and Piper has a lot to say. He says it with a mixture of science and romance which is always effective and often moving, due in large part to the stirring background music. The film deserves wider exposure, on television perhaps, but in the meantime buy it, enjoy it, and support wildcat conservation- scientists say there may be as few as 400 Scottish wildcats left in the wild.

'The wildcat doesn't ask for much' says Tomkies - let us hope that we can afford what little it does require.

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