Lynx dies after illegal release in Scottish National Park
The cause of death is currently unconfirmed.
One of four lynx that was illegally released into Cairngorms National Park has died, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has revealed.
The charity says that this reflects the dangers of abandoning these animals into the wild, which it has condemned as ‘highly irresponsible’. The remaining three lynx are currently in quarantine at Edinburgh Zoo.
The Park Authority for Cairngorms National Park was first notified about the suspected illegal release of two lynx on 8 January. The lynx had been spotted in the Dell of Killiehuntly area of the park, with RZSS and Police Scotland assisting the Park Authority with the safe capture of the animals.
The duo, nicknamed ‘The KillieHuntly Two’, were humanely trapped overnight, before being moved to quarantine facilities at the Highland Wildlife Park.
However, on 10 January, camera traps revealed that another two lynx had been abandoned in the same area. The humane traps were baited and two more lynx were captured.
Despite early reports that they were in good health, one of the lynx later died at the Highland Wildlife Park.
A post-mortem will be performed on the deceased lynx in due course, while the other lynx goes into quarantine at Edinburgh Zoo. The zoo will further assess the health and welfare of all three lynx, before a decision is made whether they return to Highland Wildlife Park.
Helen Senn, head of conservation at RZSS, said: "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.
“Our team of expert keepers and veterinarians will now ensure that they get the best possible care moving forward.”
The Park Authority is calling on anyone with information on the release of these lynx to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0387 of Friday, 10 January 2025.
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