A WILDCAT has been spotted swimming in rare footage which has been captured in Scotland "for the first time".
Scottish wildcat conservation group Saving Wildcats said female wildcat Sully was seen taking a dip in the River Spey.
As she paddles across the water, she raises her tail in the air to avoid getting it wet.
The unusual activity was spotted by Craig Porter, a member of the public who was canoeing with his friends down the river.
He said: "We could see Sully downstream standing on the bank as we canoed down. We actually thought it was a fox due to its size!
"It's also cool how she kept her tail dry the whole time."
Wildcats were declared functionally extinct in the UK in 2019.
The Saving Wildcats project, led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, has released wildcats into the Highlands for the past three years as part of an effort to save the species in Scotland.
Sully, who was released into the wild as part of the project, gave birth to a litter of kittens last year.
Data from the GPS collars worn by the wildcats has previously indicated that they have been moving across rivers, Saving Wildcats said.
However, the conservation group added that it believed this is the "first ever" recording of a wildcat swimming in Scotland, adding that it is "truly wonderful to get visual confirmation of them entering the water".
Saving Wildcats is a partnership project between the RZSS, NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Nordens Ark and Junta de Andalucia.
The project has a breeding for release centre in a private area of RZSS's Highland Wildlife Park.
The centre has facilities for breeding, veterinary care and remote monitoring, and prepares wildcats for release into the wild.
