A previously unknown population of Scottish wildcats are living in Highland Perthshire, a research project has established.

But the species, which has been in the Highlands for about 9000 years, is still under threat of extinction and is rarer than its big cousin the Bengal Tiger.

The Cairngorms Wildcat Project, designed to help save the Highland Tiger as it is affectionately known, reached its conclusion on Monday, having provided a unique insight into one of Britain's most mysterious species.

Among its key achieve-ments are camera traps proving the presence of the wildcats in the south of the park, and raising the public's awareness of the plight facing the estimated 400 animals left in the wild.

The wildcat is also increasingly being seen as an emblem of Scotland. A recent survey showed the number of people identifying the wildcat as the species they most associated with Scotland, had almost doubled between 2010 and 2011.

The most significant threat to the animal comes from hybridisation or inter-breeding with domestic cats or feral cats. The project has shed further light on the numbers and distribution of wildcats, feral domestic cats and hybrids.

In total the project recorded 465 potential wildcat sightings from within and outwith the Cairngorms National Park. The evidence suggests wildcats are very scarce in the eastern side of the national park in Donside, Deeside and the Angus Glens, but do still live in Badenoch and Strathspey, Perthshire and possibly Glenlivet.

Dr David Hetherington, from the Cairngorms National Park Authority, led the wildcat project. He said: "The project was established to secure the future of this very shy and secretive animal not only within the boundaries of the Cairngorms National Park, which is thought to be a stronghold for the species, but also across a wider area of Scotland."

He said that cat owners living in the Cairngorms National Park had been encouraged to participate in voluntary neutering and vaccination programmes of their pets and he hoped that uptake of these programmes would continue.

Environment minister Stewart Stevenson said: "The support of the public and land managers for conservation work in this area is vital if we are to see a recovery from the perilously low numbers of wildcats in the Scottish countryside at present and this project has gone a long way to securing that support."