One of the lynx illegally released in the highlands has died

The animal was part of the pair recaptured on Friday

The lynx was recaptured on Friday after being illegally released in the Cairngorms this week
Author: Molly TulettPublished 11th Jan 2025
Last updated 11th Jan 2025

One of the lynx illegally released into the Cairngorms this week has died.

The wild cat was one of four set loose near the Dell of Killiehuntly, before being recaptured after a joint effort by Police Scotland, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), and Rangers from the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

The animal’s cause of death is currently unknown, however the RZSS says the low overnight temperatures could have been a contributing factor.

Head of conservation Dr Helen Senn said: “we were very sad to discover that one of them has died overnight.

"We do not yet know the circumstances"

“We do not yet know the circumstances behind its death but will be carrying out a postmortem to try to establish what happened.

"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.

“We can only imagine the stress that all four of the recovered lynx must have experienced after being thrust into an entirely new and extremely harsh environment to fend for themselves.”

The surviving lynx of the pair will join the two others who were caught earlier in the week, and all three will be quarantined in Edinburgh.

"We can only imagine the stress"

Lynx were made extinct in Scotland around 500 years ago, after hunting and habitat loss reduced numbers, however in 2021, a group of charities carried out a consultation assessing people’s views about potentially reintroducing the Eurasian lynx.

The Lynx to Scotland charity partnership has condemned the release of the animals amid speculation of a “rogue rewilding” attempt.

Executive director of Scotland: The Big Picture, which is part of the partnership, Peter Cairns said: “irresponsible and illegal releases such as this are simply counter-productive.”

Their thoughts were echoed this week by Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain, who said the second release “would suggest a concerted approach to illegally reintroduce lynx”.

"Rogue rewilding"

He added: “These animals cannot magically appear, and the authorities should be tackling this wildlife crime with an absolute focus of finding out who is responsible.”

Dr Senn said: “Animals that come from captivity should undergo suitable preparation, they should certainly not be habituated to human presence.”

She continued: “The fact that these animals were really very tame when they were captured, is certainly not going to have contributed to their wellbeing for their period of time in the wild.”

Police Scotland said: "Enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of how they came to be in the area, as well as the additional pair of lynx which were captured on Thursday, 9 January, 2025.

"We would continue to ask people not to travel to the area, particularly in the current weather conditions.

"Further enquiries will remain ongoing in the woods, involving officers and specialist animal experts."

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