A lynx has passed away after being captured in the Cairngorms National Park. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) confirmed the sad news, stating that the wild cat was one of four that were released illegally and caught near Kingussie in the Highlands within recent days. The lynx was captured humanely in pairs in the Dell of Killiehuntly area and taken to the Highland Wildlife Park. According to RZSS officials, the lynx would have been under great stress after being abandoned in a new and “extremely harsh” environment. The first pair that were captured on Thursday have been moved to Edinburgh Zoo and will be quarantined for 30 days. The surviving lynx from the pair captured on Friday will join them.
Dr Helen Senn, head of conservation at RZSS, stated how unfortunate the situation was and that the full post-mortem examination of the lynx would be carried out to determine the cause of death. “Whatever the case, this unfortunate development just serves to further demonstrate the folly of abandoning these amazing animals in the wild, with no preparation or real concern for their welfare,” she said.
Several conservation groups have been campaigning to reintroduce wild lynx to Scotland. However, farming communities have voiced concerns about the potential impact on livestock. RZSS officials stated that they are “reasonably confident” that there are no other lynx on the loose in the area.
David Field, chief executive of RZSS, believes that there are two possible explanations for the illegal releases. “Sadly there are rogue rewilders out there who bypass all the established international best practice…They are impatient and then proceed in a way which is this rebellious rogue rewilding,” he said. “That’s really sad and that’s a real, real risk.” Mr Field added it could also simply be the abandonment of animals which someone no longer wished to look after.
Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life, said he hopes the remaining three lynx are safe and well following the efforts of experts to trap them quickly. He said the event highlights the urgency of managing an official future reintroduction of lynx to the Highlands with public consultation, government licensing, and habitat assessments.
Lynx are usually shy and solitary animals that are the size of a Labrador, and attacks on humans are very rare. Police Scotland is continuing its investigations into how the wild cats ended up in the area, and officers and wildlife experts will continue to examine the area where the animals were found.
