Chef Pete McNab, along with friend Piotr and son Alistair, were walking through the Cairngorm National Park when a flock of sheep blocked their path.
Making his way through the crowded animals, the man suddenly noticed a small kitten, frightened and pressed into the snow.
He was so cold that he could not stand on his paws, and Pete’s friend, Piotr, had to carry the foundling under his jacket for several hours.
All the way he joked that the kitten scratched him so painfully, as if he were not an ordinary cat, but a real wild animal.
What was the surprise of friends when the veterinarian told them that they really found a wild animal, moreover, a very rare one.
The kitten turned out to be a kitten of a Scottish Wildcat. According to experts, no more than 300 individuals of this subspecies remain in wildlife, and they are under the threat of complete extinction.
Friends were shocked by the discovery.
Piotr has already started looking for a new home for the kitten.
And if one was not found, he was ready to shelter the animal himself. But now the situation has changed dramatically.
It was impossible to return a rare cat to the wild, but leaving it at home would be madness.
According to the veterinarian, he was very surprised to learn that Piotr managed to keep the animal under his jacket. After all, wild cats have a very violent temper, and they cannot be tamed.
Unfortunately, fate decided everything for them – the kitten, who had already come up with a name – Huntleigh, died a few days later because of a frostbite.
The story of Huntley greatly influenced his saviors.
Pete and Piotr, upset by the death of the animal, wanted to somehow help his fellows and began a charity fundraiser in favor of a fund dedicated to helping wild cats.
Several hundred people responded to their call, and by now the men have already managed to collect almost 7,000 pounds.
Pete’s charitable work was also noticed by the Royal Zoological Society, which is involved in the breeding program for the Scottish Forest Wildcat.
Its staff contacted the man and said that the story of the kitten prompted them to step up the fundraising needed to develop the program.