'Kielder is one of the very few places in the whole of the UK where lynx could thrive'
Farmer speaks in support of animals as exhibition opens in the Scottish Borders...
Last updated 27th Apr 2025
It's claimed Kielder Forest is one of the few areas of the UK where lynx could thrive.
And, it's hoped an exhibition running in the Scottish Borders this week, could help grow support for a campaign championing their return.
Interest in the animals spiked earlier this year when four were illegally released in the Cairngorms.
They had become extinct in the UK around 1300 years ago due to the loss of their hunting grounds and woodland habitats.
Among the ambassadors for the lynx is Cumbrian farmer Lauren Harrison. She told Greatest Hits Radio: "The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and I think that has quite a negative effect on us. So, if there's an opportunity to bring back this missing piece of the jigsaw, that's a really exciting prospect.
"Lynx are such beautiful creatures that used to live in our woodlands and returning them would bring back just a bit more balance to our eco-system."
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The Missing Lynx exhibition, which opened at the Town Hall in Hawick yesterday (Saturday), charts the lynx's comeback across Europe and how restoring missing species can help nature to recover.
Lauren - who farms in Gilsland, near where Cumbria meets Northumberland on the Scotland-England border - said: "We know that lynx occasionally kill sheep but they aren't their preferred prey, and lynx don't like to come out of the forest if they don't have to. They certainly don't pose a threat to humans.
"For me, this feels like a really great opportunity to reconnect, and perhaps surprise people; and not just not be negative about the project but actually be part of making it happen. For example, helping to decide what the mitigation measures should look like, and engaging in a really positive way."
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Just south of the Scotland-England border on the A68, Kielder in Northumberland is already home to England's largest forest and the biggest man-made lake in Northern Europe.
"Lynx need lots of woodland," Lauren added. "I think it's something like 50 to 200km is a standard territory for a single lynx, so the Kielder area is one of the very few places in the whole of the UK where lynx could thrive. And there aren't too many roads they would have to cross so it's quite a safe place for them."
Locals are being invited to have their say at the exhibition which runs in Hawick Town Hall until Thursday, May 1st. Tickets are free and can be booked in advance by following this link: www.missinglynxproject.org.uk/exhibition
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