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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/09/two-lynx-released-loose-scotland-scottish-highlands
Anyone got any additional background on this story yet?
Is it true, for example?
Oh boy, this is me glued to Scottish Game Hunting social media comments for the day...
Also @scotroutes LOLZ at the sighting location. What tarp for Lynx claws?
It's definitely true. They have been released.
Frustrating for all - as the article below quotes Pete Cairns and others, this goes against everything a lot of people have pent years working slowly towards.
My suspicion is that there's a good idea of who might be behind this.. Lynx are not exactly pets, and no self respecting organisation is going to do this, and there's only a small group of Lynx owners....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6z61ylj40o
It does potentially set back the plans to reintroduce them properly, and as Matt says, can't be too hard to know where they are from.
Will be interesting to follow, I just hope the animals don't come to any harm.
That's the thing; are these animals wild enough to survive without the support that a formal programme might have provided?
Getting them here and ready for release is a tricky process that takes a lot of planning. Which genetic pool are they from and is it suitable for deer hunting, for example?
I bet that the official groups must be raging...
Where I live in Angus, the illegal beaver release has turned out to be a great success, from a conservationist perspective but even with protection, scores are still being shot here annually. Imagine the irony, if the Kingussie lynx ate the newly introduced Strathspey beavers..
It does potentially set back the plans to reintroduce them properly
Although that said those plans are being completely scuppered regardless. I have wondered for a while whether any have been released and just not been noticed.
If they are a recent introduction and have already been noticed it doesnt suggest they were well chosen.
and there’s only a small group of Lynx owners….
I would assume they would have been imported and so not appear on the dangerous animals list. I doubt it would be hard to dodge/confuse customs.
The Highland Wildlife park folk managed to capture the 2 Lynx last night. There statement says they are sending them down to Edinburgh zoo to be assessed.
Pity I was going to use them to help me set a KOM at the Drumguish off road climb ?
Wonder why they were so easy to catch?
Reminds me of the escaped Wolf in Berkshire, went for a walk, got tired climbed into the back of a truck and was taken home.
Nae food and it’s freezing . Reckon they just walked about the woods dangling a fish from Joes chipper in Kingussie.
Cairngorms lynx - tbf it's not one of their better deodorants...
Wonder why they were so easy to catch?
Would suggest they were pets/zoo animals vs wild ones caught in Europe and then introduced here.
Anyone with half an ounce of sense would release in spring surely?
Wonder why they were so easy to catch?
If they are from Africa they would have been dead easy to find. Just follow all of the women running towards them wearing furry bikinis.
Best time to release would perhaps be early summer, when the roe deer are producing a new crop of bambi for them to catch easily.
Similar situation to the Worcestershire panther? Hopefully the locals have pedalled fast enough!
I don't think they would have lasted long regardless of the weather. There's a guy who shoots on the land surrounding us, mostly deer. He's got an array of kit to make the SAS blush - he can basically see everything night and day. It's incredible and sad at the same time, nothing is safe.
Anyone heard from perchypanther lately?
Anyone with half an ounce of sense would release in spring surely?
Late spring/summer so lots of prey.
Depends where you are getting your animals from as well. If going for wild then I think later since would want to catch the young lynx as they are leaving their mother.
Similar situation to the Worcestershire panther
The beast of Belbroughton? That was my cat!
Anyone heard from perchypanther lately?
I’m currently freezing my tits off in a layby on the A9 wearing only a furry bikini in the hope that someone tries to entice me into a van with a sausage supper.
You have to take your chances when you get them.
Here’s me thinking this was a special Scottish Christmas edition of a deodorant.
@dissonance Aren't lynx meant to be fairly shy and normally avoid people? It's not a great leap then that someone who knew what they were doing could release them somewhere sparsely populated without anyone noticing...
He’s me thinking this was a special Scottish Christmas edition of a deodorant.
It'd be a strange aroma - probably like a mix of Buckfast with a hint of deep fried food.
I assume they caught the lynx by putting out a couple of big cardboard boxes and just waiting?
It's quite nice running down that way tbf.
somewhere sparsely populated without anyone noticing…
I'm honestly not convinced there's anywhere in the UK, that is both sparsely populated enough for them to not be spotted directly or by signs of there presence, and suitable for Lynx, in the UK.
Wonder if I am one of a select few to have seen a Lynx in the wild without actually going out to look for them!
First night of a roadtrip, car-camping in Alaska, drove way up into the hills on a fireroad just outside Anchorage and there was one walking along the track bold as brass. We even drove alongside him long enough for me to get a blurred photo (old school slide lost in the attic somewhere). We spoke to loads of native Alaskans on our 4 week trip but none of them had ever seen a lynx in the wild so we must have been extremely fortunate. Before our flight home we camped up the same track and I was able to have a tete a tete with a wolf not 20 meters from the tent while I went out of the tent for a pee in the early hours. Fantastic country if anyone ever gets the chance to visit.
The next planned beaver release is in Glen Affric. I imagine that would work for lynx too, though maybe not simultaneously. Paul Listers estate at Allerdale might also be a candidate. He'd done some preparatory work, though that did include fencing in the whole area.
Oh, do you have any links?
Not anymore. I had two until yesterday...
Oh, do you have any links?
… or, failing that, square and tattie scone?
been captured
They found a couple of trappers on Lynkdin
Surely the trappers would have been on Lynxskin
Cairngorms lynx – tbf it’s not one of their better deodorants…
Smells of heavy with top-notes of boiled haggis!
They're out there...
Very good, r-m. To be fair, it's a fairly distinctive profile, even if it does then show your age...
Well, lynx are supposed to eat beaver ? and in the wild, they are the main predator for the giant rodent. They represent one of the main reasons that beavers are both nocturnal and quite shy.
And presumably why lynx are also nocturnal?
That’s the thing; are these animals wild enough to survive without the support that a formal programme might have provided?
Seems that was both the big concern of those seeking to capture them and the reason they were easy to capture - seems they were not habituated to hunting and so a big fat sausage* on a stick (sorry perchy, they clearly nicked yours) in a cage seems to have worked....
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.
.
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*pure speculation.
BBC news has various quotes from the formal reintroduction programme.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6z61ylj40o
There's footage in crazy legs link just prior to capture, and one of the Lynx is wandering around within a very short distance of multiple people. Suggests animals used to captivity?
The folk who want to reintroduce lynx to Scotland are dreamers with no idea of even which direction reality is imo. Had some discussions with them a few years ago and this was so obvious.
I do not see this ever happening. The habitat lynx need is both rare and fragmented
The folk who want to reintroduce lynx to Scotland are dreamers with no idea of even which direction reality is imo.
Which people? There are several distinct groups. One group who flits around reintroduction schemes throughout the UK irritating the professionals in each area and then the well regarded groups such as the ones quoted in the article.
The habitat lynx need is both rare and fragmented
Its not. There is plenty of suitable habitat for a small population which would likely bring massive benefits in controlling and disturbing deer. Sadly the subsidy crowd are doing their best to prevent it though.
"Well, lynx are supposed to eat beaver ? and they are the main predator. They represent one of the main reasons that beaver are both nocturnal and quite shy".
I see what you did there . Fnaar Fnaar More childish giggles.
There’s footage in crazy legs link just prior to capture, and one of the Lynx is wandering around within a very short distance of multiple people. Suggests animals used to captivity?
Yeah and without details, we don't know if they were released some time ago and have approached houses now because of hunger/cold or if they've been released only recently. If the latter then it hardly looks like a "serious" attempt at re-wilding. A 20 minute drive from Drumguish would get to the Uath Lochans area where they might go un-noticed for weeks/months
I'm confused as to why anyone would release them during winter, let alone a particularly cold spell. Surely they've been out for some time and have come looking for food
How long can lynx go without food before becoming seriously weak, especially in cold weather?
I wouldn't expect it to be much longer than 3 or 4 days. I can't imagine that they have been in the wild for very long.
The fact that naturally very shy animals were apparently so easily caught suggests that they had no survival skills at all, so I can't imagine that they had been living successfully on their own for months or even weeks.
How long can lynx go without food before becoming seriously weak, especially in cold weather?
A quick Google seems to suggest they eat between 1.2 and 2.7kg of meat a day. After a big meal fasting is possible for a few days.
I've got a couple of feral cats living near me, occasionally they come looking for food, but even then they run as soon as you open the door and hide. You'll never get near them
I don't know if lynx are susceptible to hepatic lipidosis which is unique to cats, I can't see why they wouldn't be, but in a domestic cat it can be triggered by just 2-7 days of not eating.
Well I had to look that up but from what I've read it would suggest my feral cats are getting food regularly. They certainly aren't very scrawny
Those lynxes looked reasonably healthy but I can't say I've seen many.
I did see a black panther in Dumfries once though. Magnificent looking beast
I’m currently freezing my tits off in a layby on the A9 wearing only a furry bikini in the hope that someone tries to entice me into a van with a sausage supper.
You have to take your chances when you get them.
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Oh, do you have any links?
Not anymore. I had two until yesterday…
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Got to love this place!
Dissonance
As I remember it was the folk behind the kielder reintroduction attempt though it could have been hangers on but at the time I believed they were speaking as the folk behind the proposals
They were just full of nonsense saying farmers who lost livestock to them would be compensated using the money wildlife tourism would bring in but no mechanism for raising or collecting money and also suggested farmers should get guard llamas at the farmers cost.
Other idiocies as well . Completely detached from reality
For a reintroduction to work you need a breeding population and a large range for them. I doubt there are many places in the UK you could do it
I'd love to see it but i cannot see it happening
should get guard llamas at the farmers cost
Dunno about Llamas (I have memories of Alpacas working as guardian animals, will have to Google that one) but I know (one well, others through them) a few different smallholders in Ontario that use Donkeys as guardian animals against Coyotes. They've found all their livestock in the barn with the donkey stood in the open door not letting any of them out a few times, to then notice a Coyote on the fence line.
They don't get paid by anyone for that, it's just a measure some landowners pay for to protect their livestock against natural predators. So I can see why someone wanting Lynx reintroduction would argue to replicate that here. That said, they're in an environment where that predator isn't being reintroduced, so you've no arguments trying to get permission.
Edit, yes, Guard Llamas are a thing. Tbh, id be way more worried about camping with Guard Llamas in the area than Lynx. The spitting gits .
As an aside, the guardian donkey is called Albert and is a proper cool dude. I genuinely preferred Albert to Niagara Falls.
Its the idea that sheep farmers have to pay protect their flock from an introduced predator and that no real thought had been given to compensation if they do grt sheep eaten.
The European experience suggests that sheep predation is much rarer than you might think; lynx are programmed to eat roe deer first, then a range of harder to catch items like beaver and red deer. They're not particularly 'opportunistic' hunters, unlike dog based species. There are some pretty professional folk involved in the preparations for introduction, who have looked at the land and agree that there are several suitable areas for the release. Habitat with plenty of space, prey and cover.
Guard dogs for sheep flocks is a thing too. Common on the continent and there's a couple at Rothiemurchus bird of prey centre if you want a closer look. Useful against a number of predators, including sea eagles.
Another pair spotted this morning just a few miles away from where the first pair were captured
Two more Lynx have been spotted in the same are. Now I’m in a quandary. Do I head down now in the hope of getting a chase me chase me KOM or do I wait till the chip shop opens and take a sausage supper with me ?
In a 'my barber's cousin used to go out with a bloke who knew someone who met a gamekeeper in a bothy' kinda way, I heard that there are dozen out there. And if I recall the anecdote correctly, it's the same unnamed individual who released the beavers that's behind it.
Its the idea that sheep farmers have to pay protect their flock from an introduced predator and that no real thought had been given to compensation if they do grt sheep eaten.
First of all this the threat to sheep is minimal. Whilst there might be occasional killing across Europe the only place conflict has been really found is in Norway where they have an unusual system of having sheep in woodland vs pasture.
It has also been questioned how accurate the claims from the farmers are since, shock horror, if you make a nice profit opportunity some people will abuse it.
The serious schemes have actually looked at how to compensate if necessary but again the risks are pretty minimal and far outweighed by the benefits to society as a whole and also potentially to the farmers themselves in terms of crop and other predator controls.
I find it curious you are so firmly on the landowners side in this question bearing in mind the arguments are about the same level as those of landowners wanting to kill raptors to protect grouse moors.
My mate is quite a big player in beaver reintroductions.... will have to see what he knows
Looks like someone released four Lynx in Scotland and, so far, they've only recovered two of them!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6pxdxe4j9o
Do Lynx's and the required llamas carry ticks?
Looks like someone released four Lynx in Scotland and, so far, they’ve only recovered two of them!
Anecdotally there are at least a dozen out there, and 'they' know who is releasing them.
Another pair spotted this morning
FFS. As I said yesterday, it is a small group of people who would be involved in keeping lynx or even campaigning for their reintroduction, so I do wonder if they may find who is responsible. I do know there was a lynx group in the UK who were 'in trouble' for some of the silly claims being made a few years back, mainly from other conservation groups. You do wonder.
I assume there will be another BBQ and sausages on a stick in a cage later today for the next pair.
Anecdotally there are at least a dozen out there, and ‘they’ know who is releasing them.
A dozen?
It does seem to be very odd to release them a) in winter b) in such a populated part of the area. Even within a few miles there are multiple places which are quieter.
Or should mrs_oab and I take caution when we are wandering around Feshie this weekend?
Or should mrs_oab and I take kit e kat when we are wandering around Feshie this weekend
Ftfy
Dissonance
Im not on the landowners side. Its just the folk i was debating this with were unrealistic.
I am listening to what you say. I'd love to see them here. I just have my doubts about it from this set of discussions.
I do know there was a lynx group in the UK who were ‘in trouble’ for some of the silly claims being made a few years back, mainly from other conservation groups. You do wonder.
Maybe thats the folk i had contact with
Anyone with half an ounce of sense would release in spring surely?
Outstanding pun.
I do know there was a lynx group in the UK who were ‘in trouble’ for some of the silly claims being made a few years back, mainly from other conservation groups
Not just for lynx but also other reintroductions such as sea eagles in Wales which set back a campaign by other groups. They are apparently quite fond of lawyers as well when challenged.
It does seem to be very odd to release them a) in winter
I guess if they are semi wild they might have been further out but then came in once the cold hit? Although given how tame they seem be surprising they havent been seen earlier.
Its all very weird. Maybe its a case of someone simply not being able to look after them and deciding to release but then they are on the dangerous animals register to I suspect all the owners will be getting a visit from their local councils to do a count.
People talking about Roe deer and sheep…wouldn’t Lynx be far more likely to eat rabbits and hares? They’re not that big.
Thats what Canadian lynx live on and a few dogs when the rabbits get scarce.
and a few dogs when the rabbits get scarce.
That sounds like scaremongering to me. Have you got any lynx to prove that it is a common occurrence?
When do rabbits get scarce btw.....is there a rabbit season?
Thats what Canadian lynx live on
Presumably these are Eurasian Northern Lynx