The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has safely captured two more lynx that were illegally released in the Cairngorms, bringing the total number of captive animals to four. The medium-sized cats were spotted on camera traps overnight between January 9-10 and were baited with humane traps by RZSS staff.
The RZSS will bring the lynx to the Highland Wildlife Park for veterinary check-up before moving them to quarantine facilities in Edinburgh zoo. It is believed that all four lynx are from the same family group. Dr Helen Senn, head of conservation at the RZSS, said that the early reports indicate the cats are in good health.
The release is highly irresponsible and puts the animals at risk of being crushed by trucks or killed by predators. Conservationists working on an approved programme to reintroduce lynx in the region have expressed concern about this development. Police Scotland has launched a criminal investigation into the release, and inquiries continue to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Local farmers and gamekeepers fear that the released lynx could turn on their sheep and gamebirds out of hunger. Ecologists estimate that there are already around 1,000 beavers living in the wild in Scotland, and some land managers believe that sea eagles and goshawks may have been illegally released in the area.
The RZSS has a network of camera traps in nearby forests as part of a programme to repopulate the Cairngorms with wildcats. In October 2023, the RZSS released 19 satellite-tagged wildcats in the UK, marking the first time a predatory mammal was lawfully reintroduced in the country.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/10/two-more-lynx-spotted-in-scottish-woods-after-capture-of-another-pair