The Scottish Wildcat Tartan thread: conceived here on X-Marks!

[Alan H]

For those of you who don't know, Scotland is home to its own wildcat! The Scottish Wildcat is related to the European Wildcat, but distinct from the African Wildcat, which is the most likely candidate for the "original species" from which was derived the common housecat. The Scottish Wildcat has been prowling the Highlands and Lowlands since the glaciers receded from the last ice-age, but between hunting, loss of habitat, and now, competition and cross-breeding with feral housecats, the pure Scottish Wildcat is EXTREMELY endangered. When I say "endangered", I mean that current estimates of the number of purebreed Scottish Wildcats is somewhere between 350 and 35. There is much discussion and...well, arguing....between Wildcat biologists about the precise number, but without any doubt, the species is on the absolute brink of extinction. The primary threat to the species is interbreeding with feral housecats, as the number of escaped/released "wild moggies" is probably a thousand-fold greater than the Wildcat population.

Here's a Scottish Wildcat:



and another:




In the "Wildcat Thread" in the Miscellaneous forum, it occurred to me that if there could be a Capercaillie tartan that supports habitat restoration for the Capercaillie, then why couldn't there be a "Scottish Wildcat Tartan" to do the same thing for the cats? A percentage of the proceeds from Capercaillie Tartan (woven by Locharron) sales go to the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds. Perhaps a percentage of proceeds of a Wildcat Tartancould go to Wildcat Haven (http://www.wildcathaven.co.uk/index.html) an organization devoted to setting up an area where wildcats don't find feral housecats to breed with, instead of other Wildcats.


My idea is to A.) find a tartan designer who would design a tartan based on the colors of the cats B.) find a mill who will weave the tartan C.) find enough lads and lasses who are interested in the project who would actually purchase enough tartan to get the project rolling, and D.) get some support to Wildcat Haven, and raise awareness both in Scotland and around the world, of the Wildcats plight.

Note that this thread will be about THE TARTAN, not about the cats themselves, or wildcat research, or arguing about whose population numbers are right, or which Clan is most closely associated with the Wildcat, or what percentage of the proceeds should go to Wildcat Haven. This thread is about the TARTAN: design, manufacture, distribution and so on. It can also be a place where the finished product, as well as kilts and waistcoats or whatever, may be displayed. While I can't think of any way to "disguise" the fact that the point of the tartan is to help the Wildcats, so as to avoid conflict with Rule #10, I'd like to keep all the discussion in this thread about the tartan itself. That means no discussion about the "cause" of saving the Cats, or other environmental issues.

If you'd like to discuss the plight of the animals themselves, or the population biology science behind current estimates, or related Scottish environmental issues, I encourage you to visit the Wildcat thread in the Miscellaneous forum. THIS thread is about the tartan.


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