Lynx dies following capture in the Cairngorns

One of four illegally released lynx has died upon its return to captivity

7 mins ago

A Lynx which was recapture after being illegally released in the Cairngorns earlier this week has died.

The Lynx was one of the four animals which were illegally released, with the first pair being recaptured on Thursday and the second pair late last night near Kingussie in the Cairngorms National Park.

All the lynx were humanely captured by professionals from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and according to the BBC the society are “reasonably confident” there are no other lynx loose in the area.

The Lynx had been held at the highland wildlife park following capture and was then moved to Edinburgh Zoo to undergo 30 days of Quarantine. The other three lynx remain at Edinburgh Zoo.

Helen Senn, head of conservation at the RZSS, has told the BBC: “Unfortunately overnight we’ve had the news that one of the lynx didn’t make it.

“It was found dead this morning.”

Whilst the RZSS has maintained that a full post mortem will be carried out, it has be speculated that the animals death was a result of extremely low temperature of -14C in the area which it is was released.

Typically the average low temperature in the area is around 0.3C at this time of year.

The illegal release of lynx is under investigation by Police Scotland but Ms Senn speculated that it was a possible attempt to rewild the animals or they could have been released by someone who no longer had the resources to care for them.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, David Field, CEO of the RZSS, said that if the animals were released as a rewilding attempt it was: “a real, real risk”, especially considering the lynx appeared to show signs that they were bred in captivity.