One of the lynx released illegally in the Scottish Highlands has died after being captured, those caring for the animals have said.
Two of the big cats were caught on Thursday in the Dell of Killiehuntly area near Kingussie, while a second pair were seized in the same region on Friday, one of which died overnight.
Police are investigating how they came to be in the area amid speculation “rogue rewilding” could be to blame for their release.
The lynx were baited into humane traps before being taken to the Highland Wildlife Park.
Dr Helen Senn, head of conservation at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said: “After extensive efforts to capture these animals safely and humanely, we were very sad to discover that one of them has died overnight.
“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.
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“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.”
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The surviving lynx from the pair will now be taken to Edinburgh Zoo to join the others for a period of quarantine.
The RZSS has said the captured lynx are tame and are used to humans.
Lynx, which can be roughly the size of a Labrador, are usually shy and solitary creatures and attacks on humans are virtually unheard of.
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Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands Edward Mountain said the second capture of lynx “would suggest a concerted approach to illegally reintroduce lynx”.
“These animals cannot magically appear, and the authorities should be tackling this wildlife crime with an absolute focus of finding out who is responsible,” he said.
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Police Scotland said enquiries are continuing, and officers and wildlife experts will continue to examine the area where the animals were found.
In 2021 a group of charities launched a consultation on assessing people’s views about the potential of reintroducing Eurasian lynx to Scotland.
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Earlier this week Peter Cairns, director of one of the charities involved, condemned the illegal release.
He added: “The Lynx to Scotland project is working to secure the return of lynx to the Scottish Highlands, but irresponsible and illegal releases such as this are simply counter-productive.”
