Fresh lynx sighting in Highlands - two days after animals successfully captured

Cairngorms National Park Authority announced on Wednesday evening that two lynx were at large, and members of the public who spotted the animals were warned not to approach them.

The animals, which are around a year old, were trapped overnight into Thursday, and are being cared for by zoologists from the RZSS who are working on the reintroduction of Scottish wildcats.

They have been nicknamed the “Killiehuntly Two” after the region where they were found. However, it emerged on Friday that another pair of lynx, which appear to be older, are also on the loose.

Police said they received a report of two big cats in the Dell of Killiehuntly area near Kingussie around 7.10am on Friday. It is the same area where the two big cats caught this week were spotted.

The RZSS said further traps were being baited in the area with the hope the animals will be safely and humanely captured.

The lynx captured on Thursday were taken by RZSS to quarantine facilities at the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore. The animals have since been transported to Edinburgh Zoo where they will be kept until further decisions on their future are made.

Due to biosecurity laws, the cats need to spend 30 days in suitable quarantine facilities.

RZSS chief executive David Field said: “It’s mad, sad and bad. We don’t know where the lynx have come from.

“There is a small population of lynx held in private hands in the UK. The two lynx we caught are very young and habituated – they are looking to humans for security and food, they are used to heating.

“We wouldn’t pet them as they are wild animals and not pets.

“Lynx are perfectly able to live outside in the wild in Scotland, but these individuals are used to heated, warm environments and food being prepared, and humans.

“They are totally unsuitable for being out in the wild. They pose a huge risk to themselves and to the community.

“They are not going to attack people or take out a sheep or a deer, they aren’t used to hunting these animals.

“Part of the police investigation will be around private facilities – they will have come from an enclosure in a private facility. You can’t just put an animal into the wild and expect it to survive.

“The people who have done this are negligent and have abandoned these animals.”

The charity said once the pair of lynx on the loose are recovered, it is likely they will be taken to Edinburgh Zoo to join the other pair.

Members of the public have been urged not to approach the area.

Mr Field said there were around 20 lynx in private facilities in the UK, which are different from licensed zoos, and it is possible the previous owners found themselves unable to care for them.

After the second pair of lynx were spotted in the wild, he added: “We don’t know, but we would suspect they are connected. But until we have got the other lynx safely in our care, it is difficult to determine their relationship.

“People realise these animals have been abandoned. It is cruel. We have an established programme for endangered species, including breeding programmes, run on scientific and democratic processes.

“We have quarantine facilities for these animals to recover, then we have to find a home for them. There’s tens of thousands of pounds which RZSS is committing to these animals.

“I just hope that these other two lynx, which seem to be a bit more savvy, we are able to trap overnight. All the responsible organisations which work for rewilding are saying ‘this is not the way to do it’.

“The police are investigating the origins of these animals – they are tamed and habituated to humans. They have come from a place where they have had contact with humans.”

RZSS said separately on Friday: “Further traps are being baited in the area and the hope is that these animals will be safely and humanely captured before being taken to Edinburgh Zoo to join the two captured yesterday in quarantine.”

The organisation added: “RZSS condemns the release of wild animals in the strongest possible terms and urges anyone with information on the release of these lynx to contact Police Scotland on 101.”

READ MORE: Lynx in Scotland: Here is everything we know about the wild cats being illegally released in the Highlands

Police Scotland is working with specially trained personnel to capture the animals and investigations are continuing to establish the full circumstances of both sightings.

Conservationists had told The Scotsman they believed the original pair were domesticated given the relatively short time it took to recapture them. The animals’ origin is still unknown, but there is an ongoing police investigation into who was responsible for the release.

Tim Kirkwood, the chief executive of Wildland Ltd, said the organisation was categorically against illegal releases of animals and had nothing to do with the lynx releases.

Research has shown lynx can help control the population of deer. Scotland has seen an explosion in deer numbers in recent years and campaigners vouching for the big cats’ reintroduction say the species could help cull numbers.

Reducing deer populations can then reduce browsing pressure from deer and in turn help forests regenerate naturally.

Rewilding Britain said the reintroduction of the bobtail cat could also improve rural economies by attracting ecotourism. The farmers’ union NFU Scotland has voiced concerns about the impact the big cats could have on livestock.