Jane FrereHighland Tiger

From an early age I often escaped the confines of the garden to set off alone on a ‘tiger’ hunt on the wild moors above our home. I had seen these magnificent Highland tigers, as we proudly dubbed the wildcat, but sadly caged, hissing ferociously through snarling razor toothed jaws, furious and contemptuous at their captivity. My childhood mission was to discover them living freely in their dens, so I would clamber through seemingly high forests of gorse, heather and rocks onto those bleak moors only returning home at dusk.Too stealthy, shy and wary to reveal themselves even to a small human, they remained elusive.

Something of a wild child myself, I also spent much time with my parents on lighthouse islands on the west coast of Scotland with captive otters and other animals. So I instinctively empathised with the frustration and indignity these enigmatic wildcats suffered. Decades later my Highland idyll above the shores of Loch Ness is ecologically barren, bereft of ‘tigers’ and most other wild creatures great and small. The fight to save this majestic species from extinction is imperative. It is an iconic emblem of the struggle not only for its own survival but for the restoration of the biodiversity needed to ensure a habitable future for all species including ourselves.

Acting as an ambassador through art and dialogue, I have linked with the charity Saving Wildcats (https://www.savingwildcats.org.uk/), that has begun a programme to restore our Highland Tigers in the Cairngorms National Park. Next spring I’m bringing together artists and allies from many walks of life for a ‘We Stand Beside’ exhibition at the multi arts centre, The Barn in North-East Scotland, to highlight threatened species on the IUCN red list and as a call to safeguard what is left on our fragile yet miraculous tree of life. I am a Climate Story Ambassador for Climate Stories Project (https://www.climatestoriesproject.org/).