Magical creatures

AN APPRECIATION OF THE SCOTTISH WILDCAT

Words: PETE DOMMETT

The first cat looks more laid back than wild. A big tabby (which my son says is a lot like his friend's cat, Fidget) is lying on the floor of the large pen with one leg stuck in the air like an advanced yoga position (upward cat?), languorously licking itself clean. At Dartmoor Zoo in Devon, there are plenty of cats. We've seen lions, cheetahs, jaguars and a Siberian tiger: all fabulously exotic. But we've lingered longest at the enclosure for the only member of the feline family native to the UK - the Scottish wildcat. Wildcats once roamed all over Britain, but were hunted to extinction in England and Wales and, by the end of the Victorian age, survived only in the remotest parts of Scotland. Now, no more than…

You're reading a preview of

The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2023

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.