Royal Dornoch Golf Club is working to protect an endangered animal

Members of Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Scotland are working together to protect the endangered Scottish wildcat.

The club has launched a clothing range for members which includes an iconic Scottish wildcat emblem and it is donating £5 from every jumper sold from the collection to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) for wildcat conservation.

The first donation of £2,195 was handed over to the RZSS’s Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig where three rare wildcat kittens were born last year.

The historic Royal Dornoch Golf Club’s coat of arms, authorised by the Court of the Lord Lyon, includes a wildcat, the crest of the earls of Sutherland.

The new members’ clothing collection features an earlier version of the wildcat emblem, first granted in 1979, which is distinct from the symbol now used by the club.

Royal Dornoch captain Rob Murray (left) hands over the cheque to Royal Zoological Society of Scotland cat conservation project officer David Barclay

General manager Neil Hampton said: “Royal Dornoch’s wildcat symbol is well known by our 2,000-plus members at home and abroad and by the thousands of visitors who visit the club each year.

“When launching this new members’ range, we wanted to do something to connect not only with the past but also the future. Helping this iconic species survive, and hopefully flourish, is something members are very keen to be involved with.”

RZSS cat conservation project officer David Barclay said: “This generous donation comes at a significant time for wildcat conservation as the species remains on the brink of extinction.

“Alongside other leading organisations in the Scottish Wildcat Action partnership, we are working hard to give wildcats a future in Scotland and it’s fantastic to see Royal Dornoch Golf Club raising vital funds and awareness through their historical and cultural connection with the species.”

Golf has been played in Dornoch for more than 400 years. The golf club was formed in 1877 and was granted a royal charter in 1906.