Whilst many conservationists do want to see Eurasian lynx returned to the wild in the UK, few would want it to be done illegally and with a huge risk to the lynx themselves.
However, that was almost the case this week after two lynx were spotted in the late afternoon on Wednesday 8 January in Scotland, in the Drumguish area of the Highlands.
Specialist cat keepers from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) sprung into action and worked overnight with the police to capture the two big cats, using live trail cameras and baited traps. It was announced this morning that the lynx had been captured.
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“We are extremely grateful to all the residents, estates, farmers and conservation partners locally that provided information to us and the police,” says David Field, chief executive of RZSS. “The team were ably assisted by Wildland staff on the ground and close working between all parties allowed for a swift and positive resolution in this case.”
What will happen to the lynx?
Thanks to biosecurity laws, the cats will now spend 30 days in quarantine facilities first at Highland Wildlife Park and then at Edinburgh Zoo. After that, they may return to Highland Wildlife Park.
The illegal release of the lynx, by unknown perpetrators, has been condemned by many conservation organisations.
“It was a highly irresponsible act and it is very unlikely they would have survived in the wild due to a lack of adequate preparation,” adds Field. “Their abandonment was reckless to the animals, public the community and nature.”
Could lynx be reintroduced to Scotland?
The Lynx to Scotland project, a partnership between three charities, has been working towards a trial reintroduction of lynx to Scotland and also condemns the illegal release.
“This is unwelcome and grossly irresponsible, but comes at the worst possible time, when stakeholders are engaging in good faith with productive discussions about the possibility of a responsibly managed and fully resourced legal reintroduction,” says Peter Cairns, executive director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, one of the charities involved in Lynx to Scotland.
Some people hoped that the lynx might be left in the wild and monitored, as the species has been extinct in the UK for more than 1,000 years.
