A tiny kitten who was rescued by two walkers in the Highlands has sadly passed away.
The young female wildcat, named Huntleigh was rescued on Wednesday afternoon by chef Peter Macnab and his friend Piotr Peretko, who assumed that it was a domestic cat.
However, after carrying the kitten three miles back to the nearest vets, who confirmed the kitten was suffering from hypothermia, Mr Macnab and his friend learned they had picked up a wildcat.
READ MORE: Rare Scottish wildcat kitten saved from 'death's door' after rescuer mistakes it for domestic cat
Sadly, despite the best efforts of the rescuers and the vets, who strived to get heat back into the kitten, the young female passed away yesterday due to pneumonia.
The two rescuers were left “devastated” after the news - but have set up a fundraising page in memory of the cat to raise funds for the Saving Wildcats charity in the Cairngorms.
Speaking to The Herald, Peter Macnab, 32, said that he and fellow rescuer Piotr Peretko, who had planned to take in the cat before being informed it was a wildcat, were left devastated.
“The two of us were devastated, my pal probably more so."
He added: "Watching this all unravel online - we were devastated, but this has also had people in bits on the internet.
"Obviously we’re devastated - but we are trying to put a positive spin on the whole tale.”
He hailed the work on the Wildcat Centre - which they are now fundraising for in Huntleigh's memory saying: “They have a couple of cats, they have a breeding program, they’re quite involved in the conservation of the cats.
"In terms of the plans for the fundraising money, where we are at just now, we’ll collate all the money, it’s all remote and we will go down to the Wildcat Centre and hand it over. It will be used for the conservation of the species ”
The fundraising page reads: “This story comes to a bitter end as we were informed that the female kitten did in fact not recover, and passed away finally due to pneumonia.
“Thankfully they are recording its DNA on the Wildcat database, and this beautiful animal shall still contribute to the conservation of the highly rare species.
“It is said that there are less than 300 purebred Wildcats left in the world, and we are fortunate enough to have them coexisting with us here in the Cairngorm National Park. We aim to fundraise as much as possible in aid of this charity, and to the future conservation of these little highland tigers.
“These are tough times for us all being in the midst of a global pandemic, but to hear the story of these highly endangered animals is absolutely heartbreaking thinking about their little world.”
A spokesperson from Saving Wildcats told the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald said: “We were very sad to hear the kitten that was found north of Grantown on Wednesday did not recover and has passed away.
“To confirm whether the kitten was a wildcat hybrid or not, we will be carrying out a DNA test.
"The results will then be added to the national database, meaning this little kitten will still have supported wildcat conservation in Scotland.”
There are only believed to be 100 to 300 pure Scottish Wildcats remaining in the wild making them of one the world's most threatened species.
Mr Macnab, who recently took on the role of general manager at the Garth Hotel, said he hopes the tale will inspire others to head out into the great outdoors, knowing firsthand that you may well find something unexpected.
Fundraising efforts have already raised over £300 and you can find more details of the fundraising page HERE
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