Police issue update over man alleged to be keeping Scottish wildcat in North Wales without licence

Police have issued an update over claims a man in the Conwy area was keeping a Scottish wildcat without the required licence.

An independent expert was brought in after reports were made by members of the public and other agencies that the man was believed to be in possession of a European Protected Species.

A search was carried out on February 14 this year following discussions between North Wales Police, NatureScot and Natural Resources Wales.

The animal was located and taken to a specialist facility to determine its identity.

However, it’s now been confirmed that it was in fact a tabby cat.

North Wales Police said: “It was examined by an expert in wildcat identification, who concluded it to be a domestic tabby cat which may have a low proportion of wildcat genes, lower than that required to consider it to be a Scottish Wildcat (Felis silvestris).

“We are aware of significant fundraising in relation to this animal.

“A 43 year old man is assisting with enquiries, and the animal continues to be cared for at a specialist facility.”

A NatureScot spokesperson said: “In this case the animal was not assessed as being from a protected species.

“While there are provisions in legislation that allow for the caring and rehabilitation of protected species, NatureScot strongly encourage early communication with our licensing team to help guard against any offences being committed in relation to possession.”

Main image: “Scottish Wildcat” by Sugarmonster is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.