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International cat day cat Bon Bon

International Cat Day

08/08/2023 / / 1 Comment

International Cat Day

After the last few years of remote working and with staff working more from home now, meeting their feline companions during online meetings has been so much fun. Little furry faces and tails have often popped up mid-way through a very important discussion. Many of our staff have loved being able to spend more time with their creatures of choice and I know I love having a friendly work buddy to hang out with at home during the workday,

So that’s why to celebrate this year’s International cat day we think it would be nice to introduce you all to some of our furry friends.

Librarians and their cats

First up meet Aila. Alia is almost 17 years young and can be seen here enjoying the lovely sunshine. Aila’s human is Carol.

International cat day cat aila

Next up is Maxie. Maxie is 6ish but doesn’t think age matters. Quite right Maxie. Maxie’s hobbies include chasing birds, eating cheese and meowing very loudly all day long! Maxie’s human is Judy,

International cat day cat Maxie

Following Maxie we have Vivienne’s cats Smudge and Tigger. Smudge enjoys being petted and staring at the fridge until ham magically appears. Smudge also enjoys investigating places, especially the chimney. It’s good to be curious Smudge. Tigger is a little more timid and laid back. He enjoys pets…but only a little. Not too much mind. It’s good to hear about a cat with strong boundaries. We should all be more like Tigger.

International cat day cat Smudge International cat day Tigger

Now for two lookers, meet Lucy the British Blue at a stately 10 years young and Millie the ragdoll at a youthful 3. Both are gorgeous and both share a similar love for relaxing and comfy surfaces. Sounds like they know what they like. I have to say I too enjoy both these things. Their lucky human is Helen.

International cat day cat Lucy International cat day cat Millie

Tracey’s cat friend is the lovely Nell. Nell was rehomed when she was still a kitten and is now almost 4 years old. Both adored and spoiled she loves the outdoors and being social. She love’s to bring home pals to meet the family (and her food bowl). Who doesn’t love to host a dinner party Nell? Nice to hear about a socialising cat. Break those stereotypes Nell!

International cat day cat Nell

Now to meet Folie. Described by her human Peg as “a complete weirdo”. I’m sure Folie feels the same about her human. Her hobbies include hogging the remote and leg attacks.  It’s good to stay sharp Folie, you never know when you will be called to action. She also enjoys avoiding toddlers and maintaining a shocked expression. Folie sounds like my kind of cat.

cat Folie

This lovely kitty is Oscar. He’s our sport fanatic. Oscar loves nothing more than a bit of tennis, football or snooker. Anything with a ball keeps this kitty happy. Oscar is 13 and is the proud companion of our librarian Sarah.

Oscar the cat

Next up is my cat, Brindle. Brindle is part Siberian and a young at heart 12 years old. Brin Brin as she is known enjoys not being chased by small children and not having her tail pulled. Other hobbies include shouting at the magpies in the back garden as early in the morning as possible and snuggling with her favourite human (that’s me!).  She would also like it known that she enjoys playing fetch and will happily retrieve any items thrown her way. Sometimes, being wiser than her human she will retrieve important things at 3am as she is very goal orientated and is also aware that humans can be very forgetful and lose things. Thank you Brindle for being so thoughtful.

International cat day cat Brindle

Now we’ve saved someone very special for last. Nacho is Isabell’s special cat. Oh and I do mean special! Nacho isn’t any old cat…oh no! Nacho is a Polydactyl cat. She’s a cat with thumbs people…thumbs! Next step in evolution I say. A sure sign that cats are on their way to becoming our feline overlords. Not Nacho though. Nacho is a cutie. She is 8 years old but is a kitten at heart. she loves being cuddled like a baby over the shoulder and has a very sweet tooth.  She puts her thumbs to good use too, getting her treats out of the jar. Bravo and two thumbs up from this human for Nacho!

Nacho the cat Nacho the cat

So there you have it for International cat day. A selection of our feline companions, all of whom work tirelessly to support their hard-working humans in the Library. Want to know more about cats? Well of course you do! You can find lots of fascinating information on cats through Librarysearch.napier.co.uk

Not a fluffy animal person? We have you covered too. Check out our article on National Insect week instead.

And don’t worry all you “I’m more of a dog person” types. We will be back soon with some of our dog companions later in the month for International dog day!

Edinburgh Sunset Princess Gardens

Love Parks Week

28/07/2023 / / 0 Comments

Love Parks Week

In Edinburgh our urban parks offer green space to residents who don’t have access to a garden. They offer opportunities to get out and about in the fresh air, take some exercise, walk your dog, take part in sports and let the children run about and let off steam!

What is Love Parks Week

Love Parks Week was set up to celebrate and support the efforts of volunteers and workers up and down the country to maintain and protect our green spaces and in 2023 it runs from 28th July to 6th August.

Councils will facilitate large maintenance projects such as grass-cutting. Some parks have friend associations which run volunteer events to do extra work to improve their park.  Friends of Braidburn Valley Park run two litter picks in spring and autumn to clear litter from the Braid Burn which runs through the park. This is the type of event that Love Parks Week wants to highlight.

Parks evolved from the deer parks used for hunting in medieval times. With the Industrial Revolution, areas were set aside in towns and cities to give workers some green space. To escape from their cramped living conditions in tenements and terraced houses which didn’t have gardens. With Covid-19 pandemic, urban dwellers used their parks to leave their homes for the one hour per day recommended by the government. They were invaluable to people with no garden of their own. As we return to normal, we can appreciate our parks at any time we choose, and they are being well used. The  Meadows hosts exercise classes, charity and festival events and even cricket! Below is information about some of Edinburgh’s interesting parks.

Edinburgh parks

Holyrood Park

With the cliffs of Salisbury Crags and three lochs, Holyrood Park is a large open space in central Edinburgh. It is more like the deer hunting parks of old. The peak called Arthur’s Seat is part of an extinct volcano. The lochs are home to swans and ducks, and other wildlife. This park is big enough to have roads running through it and in spring the High Road is closed for the annual toad migration. Rangers help the toads awakening from hibernation on Arthur’s Seat across the road to get to Dunsapie Loch.

Braidburn Valley Park

This park was a farm until 1933. It contains several cherry trees planted by Girl Guides in 1935. There is an open-air theatre with tiered seating on the grass slope opposite hosted many performances before World War 2, but these events have declined greatly. There is a permanent orienteering course in the park. Unusually for a park a small fruit orchard has been planted in memory of David Wright, a well-known local greengrocer. The burn running through the park is home to herons and dippers. Just inside the park at the top of the slope running beside Comiston Road there is an old tram shelter. Said to date from the time of the original Edinburgh trams which ran all the way here.

 Saughton Park

This park hosted the Scottish National Exhibition in 1908 showcasing industry, agriculture and engineering. View some film of the event. It opened as a public park in 1910. Containing a rose garden, winter garden, paddling pool and bandstand it contained all the classic elements of a mid-20th century park. Now reflecting more modern trends, the park houses a large skate park which is popular with children and teenagers.

Harrison Park

With the Union Canal running along the top edge of the park. You can catch rowing clubs practising and check out the colourful canal barges moored there.

Try checking out your local park to see if there are any activities you could take part in.  You could just go along to enjoy the open space, plants and wildlife!

By Vivienne Hamilton

Try more summer activities 

Photo source – Julia Solononia 

Portree independent hotel

Out and about in Scotland

17/07/2023 / / 0 Comments

Out and about in Scotland

Are you staying in Scotland for the summer? Are you thinking about getting out and about in the spectacular countryside? You can have a great time and make some fantastic memories walking, camping, doing water sports, mountain biking or just touring around, and so it’s worthwhile being well prepared for your trip or outing.

If you are heading off to somewhere remote remember that the weather in Scotland can be a bit unpredictable so it’s best to have waterproofs and warm clothes in case. Of course it could also be very warm with little shade so sunscreen and a hat could be useful too. Strong footwear is essential for walking on paths and across grasslands.

Right to Roam in Scotland

You should be clear on access too. The so-called ‘right to roam’ is part of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act introduced in 2003 to strike a balance between a person’s freedom to roam and respect for private property. It allows members of the public to access most land and inland water in Scotland for recreational or other purposes. This is provided that the right to roam is exercised reasonably and responsibly. Recreational covers a wide range of activities, including camping and picnicking. However, there are limitations to the rule. For example, the right to roam does not apply to land on which there are buildings, or shelters including tents and caravans.

It also does not apply to gardens. Similarly, land where crops are growing is off limits, as are schools and school grounds and land that has been developed into sports grounds. If you are walking in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), it is important to be respectful of the plants and wildlife as failure to do so can result in a fine.

Learning to use a map and compass is a good idea. With patchy wifi in countryside areas it’s not always possible to use GPS. It’s essential to take enough food and water along as shops can be few and far between. Always tell someone where you are going and when you are due to return.

Swimming in Scotland

If you are thinking of wild swimming never go alone in case you get into difficulty. Bear in mind that water temperatures can be much colder than the air temperature and the cold can cause shock. Wet suits offer some protection. If you are taking part in any water sports, it’s best to check that they are allowed on the stretch of water you are heading to. There may be restrictions on bodies of water within national parks, nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). A fishing permit may be required if you were thinking of trying angling. At the coast be mindful of tides so as not to get stranded, and if swimming remember riptides can carry people out to sea.

Be careful if lighting a fire. In dry spells a small fire can turn into a wildfire which can spread across large areas and cause devastation to forests and wildlife. Make sure you extinguish any fires you light and never leave one unattended.

Don’t leave litter-it’s unsightly and can be dangerous to wildlife. Always use any bins provided or take your litter home if there aren’t any.

Helpful guides

If you are driving, it’s also worth bearing in mind that petrol is considerably dearer in remote areas so it’s worth filling up before you leave the central belt.

If the worst should happen and you get into difficulty remember there are bodies who can help. For the hills and mountains there are mountain rescue teams equipped with search dogs, drones and years of experience in finding people and administering first aid if necessary.

The coastguard will assist with rescues around the shores of the country.

You can also help yourself by being prepared for an emergency-some extra food, a foil blanket to protect against the cold, a whistle to attract attention and brightly coloured clothing which makes you more visible to rescuers are small additions which can make a big difference. Before you set off install the what3words app on your phone. This can help rescuers locate your position more easily.

Whatever you are planning to do and wherever you are going this summer stay safe and hopefully the weather will be kind!

Useful websites:

Long distance walks:  https://www.scotlandsgreattrails.com/

Munro bagging:  https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/munros/

Water safety https://watersafetyscotland.org.uk/advice-hub/water-safety-code/

https://watersafetyscotland.org.uk/advice-hub/activity-safety/cold-water-shock/

https://watersafetyscotland.org.uk/advice-hub/activity-safety/

HM Coastguard: https://hmcoastguard.uk/in-an-emergency

Mountain Rescue: https://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/

SSSI guidance: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/sites-special-scientific-interest-sssis

You can use Box of Broadcasts to view episodes of the Adventure Show and Library Search to find books and articles on wildlife, plants, first aid and land law.

You can read more about Scotland

By Vivienne Hamilton

Photo source Claudia De Wet

Glastonbury Festival - Pyramid Stage 2019

Music Festivals

13/07/2023 / / 0 Comments

Music Festivals

Summer has a vast number of connotations and associations.  One that has always stuck with me is music festivals. Glastonbury, Download or Reading and Leeds to name a few. The weather is usually nicer, concerts can be held outside so make a weekend out of it. Let’s get into the spirit

History of Music Festivals in the UK

The Isle of Wight Festival was the first modern music festival in the UK, held around the same time as the original Woodstock festival in 1969. The unexpected high attendance (thought to be 700 000) led to a parliamentary act that meant any gathering of more than 5000 people had to apply for a special licence. The festival was revived in 2002 and still going.  (Wikipedia)

Glastonbury followed shortly, inspired by the Isle of Wight Festival and Glastonbury has grown into perhaps the largest and most famous music festival in the country. (Timeout)

 Festivals Today

A list of Summertime music festivals here

And check out the guardian 

In the Library We have an intensive book stock on music which you can find on LibrarySearch, you can even an intensive reading list on music festivals.

And sometimes festivals are timeless, and you can watch past ones on BOB available through Library Search

On a more academic note if you are music student, don’t forget about our libguides, you can find more about databases, journals, music in the library and more key resources to help with your studies.

Read more about summer posts or get a little more musically

Photo source James Genchi 

Merchiston book stock

Campus Libraries this Summer

26/06/2023 / / 0 Comments

Campus Libraries this Summer

If you are heading off after exams we hope you have a great summer and we will see you again in September. If you are staying around and intend to use the library, we thought you might like to know about the projects we have going on in our campus libraries.

Craiglockhart Campus in the Summer

The research collection is going to be weeded in order to remove unused stock and space the collection out.

Additionally, 2 new lapsafe towers are to be installed giving another 24 laptops for loan.

The staff office is going to be converted for hybrid working with docking stations and new furniture.

Redundant compact storage to be removed to provide more study space.

Merchiston Campus in the Summer

One extra lapsafe tower will be added giving another 12 laptops for loan.

The final batch of DVDs will be uploaded to OMNI.

Journals are being weeded and compact store is being tidied.

Trial of new touch screen equipment in study room 8.

Sighthill Campus in the Summer

SHSC subject librarian is working on lists for stock weeding.

Redundant furniture being moved on LRC5 and 2 collaborative desks are being added. The space is being divided into group study and single study spaces.

New School of Applied Sciences subject librarian has started.

All library staff will be taking part in other projects:

Stock scanning for missing and mis-shelved items.

 

Checking that all links on our webpages/libguides are working.

Libraries will be open throughout the summer. Link to opening hours:

https://my.napier.ac.uk/library/about-the-library/opening-hours

You can contact us if you have any enquiries about your loans, returns, interlibrary loans or issues accessing electronic books and articles.

Of course, books and laptops can be borrowed and returned, group study rooms can be booked and relaxation spaces are there to take some time out.

You can follow the library on social media and there will be regular posts on our blog right through summer.

And there are Box of Broadcasts access lots of tv programmes to help pass the time!

Also, you can compare to what we did last summer 

image of The Kelpies sculpture at Falkirk for blog post International Faerie Day

International Faerie Day

24/06/2023 / / 0 Comments

International Faerie Day: A Scottish History

So, before we go any further. One thing…don’t call them Faeries! For they most certainly do not like it. Fair folk is fine but remember to show the utmost respect as they enjoy playing tricks on humans and take very badly to perceived slights. Though there is the odd kind faerie, most of them are mischievous at best, and terrifying at worst.

Scotland and Faerie History

In Scotland, Fairies are traditionally called Seelie or Unseelie from the word ‘seilie’ in Scots, which means Happy or Lucky (source). Also known by the fair folk, elevs, good people and many other names. In Gaelic they were called Daoine Sith meaning ‘people of peace’ (not because they were peaceful mind, but as an act of fearful respect).[1] In Gaidhealtachd, the Scots Gaelic oral storytelling tradition they were called the “still folk” or “silently moving people,” spelt SITH and pronounced SHEE [2].

We have mentions of them throughout the last 1000 years of recorded history, which is pretty incredible. Some of our earliest sources are from poems like Thomas the Rhymer, Tam Lin and The Elfin Knight.

Protection

Throughout Scottish History, there are many records of Faeries being blamed for people’s misfortune, from crops failing and cream curdling to lost children.

To protect themselves superstitions grew around how to protect oneself. Wearing rowan berries or decorating your home with them was one. Carrying Iron was another. There were also the acts of Saining or maistir. Saining involves the burning pine cones or metal-imbued water being sprinkled over a new mother and her child. Maistir, a rather more unpleasant choice involved stale urine. This was placed on windows and doors to keep out Faeries…and everyone else probably [3].

It was believed that every source of water from a well to a loch had its own Faerie protector. One must appease these protectors with gifts and respect. This is perhaps why we find so many precious items from the past in them.

Famous Scottish Fair Folk

Apart from Nessie, is any other creature more famous in Scotland now than The Kelpies? The stunning sculptures pay homage to a terrifying creature, half man, half horse. Said to trick the unwary into rides on his back, only to drag them into the water and drown them. Gulp!

The sad tales of Selkies are another well-spun story. Beautiful creatures who take on human form when they remove their seal-like skin. Humans would fall in love with them and trap them by hiding their skins. Preventing the Selkies from returning to their homes. These tales always end in heartbreak when the Selkie finally frees itself and returns to the water where it belongs.

A lesser-known being (I only heard about them when researching this article!) is the Scottish Faerie Vampire. Baobhan Sith. Known to devour their male victims and take their hearts [4].

Not that they were all bad! Wee sprites and Brownies would favour children and help them out in times of peril. The well-known Ghillie Dhu or Gille Dubh was thought to be a kindly sort, devoted to children.

Places to visit

One of the best places for Faerie fun in Scotland is the Isle of Skye. With its well-known Fairy Pools and  Fairy Glen. Take a brave dip in a pool and see who you might meet! or wander the glen just as dusk falls and keep your eyes open.

Although not actual Kelpies thank goodness, Scotland’s stunning sculptural artwork of them is well worth a visit. Also, whenever you are on the coast keep your eyes peeled for both Selkies and Kelpies, but don’t get too close.

No matter where you are in the Scottish countryside, you will find faerie circles hidden in woods or mystical glens to wander through. Just keep your wits about you or you could disappear into the faerie court for 100 years in the blink of an eye!

By Juliet Kinsey

Library Resources

Read more about the subject of Faeries on Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk.

How about this article by Moir Marquis, Otherworld Here: On the Ecological Possibilities of Faeries

or this book: The Virtue of Temperance in the Faerie Queene

To learn about all things fairytale and Celtic, read The Golden Bough.

Why not learn more about History in our blog post on May Day?

References

[1]Henderson, L. & Cowan, E.J., 2001. Scottish fairy belief: a history, East Linton: Tuckwell Press

[2] & [3] https://www.guide-collective.com/gc-magazine/fairies-the-still-folk-of-scotland

[4] https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15583075.scottish-myths-legends-vampire-fairies-shape-shifting-selkies-loch-ness-monster/

Sources

https://www.scotland.com/blog/faeries-in-scottish-folklore/

https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/stories/fairy-belief-fairy-tales-scotland

https://www.guide-collective.com/gc-magazine/fairies-the-still-folk-of-scotland

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15583075.scottish-myths-legends-vampire-fairies-shape-shifting-selkies-loch-ness-monster/

https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/mythical-scotland-exploring-the-legends/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghillie_Dhu

 

Lego figure with moustache

International Men’s Health Week 2023

12/06/2023 / / 0 Comments

International Men’s Health Week 2023

 

Today is the start of International Men’s Health Week, running until the 18th. The goal is to increase awareness of men’s health which can prevent health problems, encourage the development of health policies and support a healthier lifestyle. In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of the 65. Together we can all change that.

International Men’s Health Week and the UK

Each year, each country that participates in International Men’s Health Week has a theme. The theme for International Men’s Health Week 2023 in the UK is Men’s Health and the Internet – examining the benefits of being able to access health services and information on your phone but also examine the downsides. The forum also examines the dopamine that our phone apps give and what dangers can be. You can explore more at the Men Health’s Forum UK There is also a registration for upcoming events for the week.

History

Men’s Health Week was created by the U.S congress in 1994 to raise awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of illnesses. It was sponsored by former Senator Bob Dole and former Congressman Bill Richardson. It wasn’t until 2002 that it became internationally recognised when six representatives from men health’s organisations met in Vienna, Austria.

Additional Reading

Don’t forget to check out our blog post on the importance of Movember.

And you can read about more mental health support

Check out the NHS 

Men’s Health Fourm/UK

and International Men’s Month

photo source Alan Hardman

banner image for A Quick Guide to Using Boolean: Top 5 Tricks

A Quick Guide to Using Boolean: Top 5 Tricks

29/05/2023 / / 0 Comments

A Quick Guide to Using Boolean: Top 5 Tricks

Improve your search results with Boolean search operators.

Introduction to Boolean

First off, what the heck is Boolean you may be asking? Boolean search operators are simple terms like AND, OR and NOT or modifiers like quotation marks “”, parentheses () or an asterix*. You use these in conjunction with your search terms to help narrow down your search.

Most search engines, databases and of course library catalogues allow you to use these when looking for books or articles.

Top Tip 1: AND

This makes sure that your search results include all the words you need.

e.g. Zombies AND Aliens

It will remove any results that do not contain all these terms.

Top Tip 2: NOT

This is a great option for editing out results when searching.

e.g. Apocalypse AND Zombies NOT Aliens

Top Tip 3: Quotation marks “”

Quotation marks are one of my favourite search modifiers. Use them to make sure you have an exact match returned. This can be handy for a book or article title if you know exactly what you are looking for.

e.g. “Brave new world”

Top Tip 4: Asterix *

This little “star” is better known as a wildcard and is a pro tip for those who struggle with spelling or want to find results with a variation of the keyword.

e.g. If you use it with say the word Develop* it will return results including “development,” “developer,” and “developing.”

Top Tip 5: Parentheses ()

This is where you can start to get fancy! Use parentheses to group together keywords and control the order they will be searched for.

e.g. (Alien OR Zombie) AND Apocalypse

Now there is another Boolean operator OR (seen above helping out the zombie and alien search) which didn’t make the top 5 but is definitely top 6. Use OR to allow results using multiple keywords.

e.g. (Aliens OR Zombies OR Kittens) AND Apocalypse.

Combining Terms

The best thing about Boolean is it allows you to combine all these operators to make highly specific searches saving you time and effort trawling through pages of results.

e.g. (Aliens OR Zombies) AND Apocalypse AND “Tuesday Morning” Start*

LibrarySearch

Our LibrarySearch Library catalogue helps you to get started with this. Simply click on “Advanced Search” and you will see options to use Boolean operators.

Screenshot of Librarysearch Boolean search operators

So why not give them a go today!

By Juliet Kinsey

Read more study tips in our article on preparing for exams.

 

limerick image

National Limerick Day

12/05/2023 / / 0 Comments

National Limerick Day

National Limerick Day celebrates Limericks. A limerick is a short, often humorous, and sometimes rude poem consisting of five lines. The first, second and fifth lines should rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines should rhyme with each other. The first line usually introduces a person and place, and the place name will be at the end of the line eg.

There was a Young Lady of Dorking,
Who bought a large bonnet for walking;
But its colour and size,
So bedazzled her eyes,
That she very soon went back to Dorking.

This establishes the rhyme scheme for the second and fifth lines. Due to their short and simple structure limericks are a popular form among amateur poets.

Although the word “limerick” is a reference to the Irish city and county, it may be derived from a form of nonsense verse parlour game which included the line “Will/won’t you come up to Limerick” and it is believed that limericks actually originated in England.

Edward Lear

They were popularized by Edward Lear in his books A Book of Nonsense (1846) and More Nonsense Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, etc (1872). He wrote 212 limericks which would accompany an absurd illustration on the same subject. Amongst the most famous of these is the opening poem from A Book of Nonsense:

https://napier.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NAP_INST/n96pef/alma9923649263602111

Feeling inspired? Why not try writing your own limerick, you might be interested in reading more about them. You can use LibrarySearch to access several e-books and articles. And if you are interested in poetry there are over 1,500 poetry books at Merchiston campus library and thousands more e-books available online. You can also read Edward Lear’s work online here.

By Vivienne Hamilton

 

Read more articles on unusual days such as May the Fourth and World sleep day

Wild Animals of Scotland Update. Image of an Osprey

Wild Animals of Scotland Update

06/04/2023 / / 0 Comments

Wild Animals of Scotland Update

Ospreys in 2023

Here is a wee wild animals of Scotland update. For those of you who have followed Scotland’s osprey visitors in previous years, we have some great news! NC0 and her mate LM12 have returned to Loch of the Lowes and have been getting the nest ready and it looks like there’s one egg so far. The webcam is live so you can follow the birds and hopefully their young over the summer months.

 

Not to be outdone by his Perthshire cousins Louis has returned to the Loch Arkaig nest in record time and is busy fishing and looking out for his mate Dorcha.

Hopefully, there will be plenty to see on the webcams over the summer!

Wildcats

Furthermore, in very exciting news the first-ever Scottish wildcat release has been approved. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) will oversee the trial release of these endangered wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park. These beautiful creatures have become almost extinct. Years of habitat loss, persecution and hybridisation with domestic cats have brought the Scottish wildcat population to the brink of extinction. (source). Hopefully, this plan will help to save these “Highland Tigers”.

Beavers

In addition, another animal that was successfully introduced was the Scottish beaver back in 2009 and things are going well with a growing population. Similarily to the Wildcats this began as a trial and has now seen the beaver population reach over one thousand.

Managing Ecosystems

The reintroduction and conservation of Wildlife, however, is a complicated matter, with many factors involved. You can read more on these subjects using Librarysearch.co.uk 

Read more on the Ospreys in earlier articles on them like this one: The Ospreys have returned

By Vivienne Hamilton

 

Photo by Jongsun Lee on Unsplash

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