All creatures great and small

All creatures great and small

Scotland's wonderfully diverse geography makes it a great destination for viewing wildlife. The vast National Parks, moorland, mountains and glens are home to an abundance of creatures; herds of roe and red deer, mountain hares, pine martens and the elusive wildcat. While the miles of coast, rivers and fresh and sea water lochs offer opportunities for sightings of, amongst others, bottle nosed dolphins, whales, grey seals, puffins, gannets, and ospreys. You may also witness part of the incredible journey of the Atlantic salmon coursing its way back upstream to its river of birth.

Scottish wildlife conservation

Over recent years, Scotland has introduced several conservation programmes to protect and re-establish native species within the country. In an effort to protect the endangered native red squirrel The Forestry Commission Scotland has established over 100,000 hectares of land as red squirrel strongholds. The red squirrel is the UK's only native squirrel and is under attack from the hardier grey squirrel. Scotland is at present a safe haven for the animals and is home to 75% of the remaining population in the UK. The spread of grey squirrels has not yet reached all our forestry land, this however is a constant threat. Populations of this iconic animal can be seen in the Highlands, Argyll, the North East and Tayside. The initiative aims to increase and sustain these numbers in an effort to once again make the red squirrel a common sight within Scotland.

Beavers were native to Scotland 400 years ago but were hunted to extinction. In a bid to re-establish the species, a trial overseen by the