One of the captured lynx illegally released into the Highlands has died it was revealed yesterday.
It was one of a second pair of the animals captured within a week after police reports they had been seen in the countryside at Dell of Killiehuntly near Kingussie.
The news of the death came as speculation grew over ‘rogue rewilders’ possibly being behind the illegal release.
TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham said the actions of the individual or individuals behind the illegal release go against everything people who are serious about reintroduction are trying to do.
‘These animals need to be strictly monitored, scientifically controlled and, in the case of the lynx, it needs to be done in close consultation with the communities involved.
‘This goes against everything we are trying to do. We are all disappointed this has happened.’
Mr Packham said that he can understand the frustration many who want reintroduction feel about the barriers that exist to such moves in the UK but added that is no excuse for releasing the animals illegally.
He added: ‘I’m really cross about it; it does not serve our purposes.’
Police are searching for answers after the second pair of lynx were captured on Friday in humane traps, a day after the first incident nearby.
Dr Helen Senn, head of conservation at the Royal Zoological Society 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.
‘This unfortunate development 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.’
All four lynx, who are shy, solitary animals in the wild and not dangerous to humans, appeared tame and showed little sign of being able to survive on their own.
David Barclay, ex-situ conservation manager for the RZSS who led the hunt for the lynx, was furious about their illegal release in deep snow in temperatures below -5C.
‘We’re not sure of the motive behind whoever released these animals but they were released on the coldest night of the year. It appears from their behaviour that these are certainly captive animals, very habituated to people and not in any way ready for this. It’s abhorrent what has happened here and against all international good practice.’
While rewilding campaigners have long wanted to bring lynx back to Scotland with the Cairngorms and Argyll previously identified as possible locations, there is no suggestion they are responsible for this week’s release. Lynx to Scotland, a three-charity partnership working to restore lynx to the Scottish Highlands, insisted illegal releases only harmed their cause.
Peter Cairns, Executive Director of Scotland: The Big Picture, said: ‘Irresponsible and illegal releases such as this are simply counter-productive.’
Steve Micklewright, Chief Executive of Trees for Life which is also member of the partnership, said: ‘The tragic death of one of these beautiful, charismatic animals shows why illegal animal abandonment is so irresponsible and wrong. This sorry saga is a reminder why an official future reintroduction of lynx to the Highlands must be properly managed.’
RZSS conservationists were unable to rule out the possibility more lynx have been released.
‘We’re continuing to monitor the release site. It’s important for us to keep that possibility open but at the moment we have no indication there are any additional animals out there,’ said Dr Senn.
‘We wholeheartedly condemn this kind of action because it’s extremely compromising to the welfare of animals. The situation we’re in illustrates that very clearly. Good reintroduction should be done with community consultation and scientific groundwork for both the benefit of ecology and the welfare of animals.’
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: ‘We continue to ask people not to travel to the area. Further enquiries will remain ongoing in the woods, involving officers and specialist animal experts.’
Investigators believe the four lynx could have been released at the same time, with the second pair escaping initial detection by the RSZZ’s network of wildlife cameras.
‘By their behaviour, we believe they are all from the same litter or at least related. All four are of a similar age and are young Eurasian lynx,’ said Mr Barclay.
The search was carried out by RZSS experts, the local community, landowners, farmers, Cairngorm rangers, and Police Scotland.
‘I’d like to say a massive thank you to the local community who have been amazing, rallying around at short notice and supporting the team through extremely challenging conditions,’ added Dr Senn.
The surviving lynx was taken to the Highland Wildlife Park before being moved to Edinburgh Zoo to quarantine for 30 days where it will join the first pair.