FINLAY HAS BEEN TAKEN

Dear All

It is with disbelief and tears in our eyes that we are writing this.

Yesterday at 8am a team of 4 policemen and a vet came to the private property where Finlay is being looked after and seized him. No warning was given, they just turned up with bodycams turned on and said they were there to take Finlay.

They showed no paperwork before taking him, provided no letter of authority and gave no justifiable reason. We pleaded with them, explained that he is in the process of rehabilitation and that he was due to be released to the wild in the next 6 to 8 weeks. We also explained that capturing him, exposing him to multiple people and disrupting him at such a crucial time, would be catastrophic to his rehabilitation. They did not listen, they did not care. We asked to go with them to the enclosure but we were threatened with arrest if we did so. We had no choice but to  helplessly watch on from a distance. He was captured, taken into the back of a van and taken away.

We asked for details of where he would be taken, what would happen to him, but the police said that they didn’t need to tell us and so Finlay’s whereabouts are still currently unknown.

It was a bewildering and traumatic experience for us let alone Finlay. We tried to find out where he was last night but again the police refused to tell us.

None of this makes sense. As you all know we have made no secret of the rehabilitation process that Finlay is going through and our decision to wait until spring for release. So the question is why was he taken now? We have had him for over a year.

However, yesterday our team were due to lodge their witness statements for the public Inquiry against Vattenfall. Also, last week we made public the news of a Vattenfall whistleblower. Is it a coincidence that on the very morning that our witness statements are due for lodging, that Finlay is seized?

The police said that they were recently made aware of Finlay so the question is by whom? Have Vattenfall or their associates had a hand in Finlay's seizure?  We have to be careful what we say at this stage but you will be able to reach your own conclusions on the timing. Coincidence or malice?

We are truly devastated and still in a state of shock. We saved his life and reared him from less than 4 weeks old. Along with all of you, we have watched him grow and develop into a magnificent animal and now he is gone. We know how much he means to you all and what an inspiration he has been.

Well now we have to fight for Finlay and fight harder than we ever have before, to get him back and into the wild. We are instructing another very strong legal team to urgently deal with this issue. We need the very best for Finlay. We simply haven’t got time to set up another crowdfunder so we are planning to keep using the existing campaign page and allocate funds appropriately.

If like us, you feel that Finlay deserves his chance in the wild then please support us on this page. 

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/wildcats/

Thanks as always, we need your help now more than ever. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything. 

The Wildcat Haven Team and Finlay