Lynx dies after big cats released illegally into UK countryside

A lynx that was captured in Scotland yesterday has died overnight, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has confirmed.

The lynx was one of four that had been released illegally into the Cairgorms National Park.

The animals were captured humanely in pairs and inquiries are ongoing to find out how they came to be there.

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

‘It was found dead this morning.’

A full post mortem will now be carried out.

The lynxes were taken to the Highland Wildlife Park before being moved to Edinburgh Zoo.

The surviving lynxes will now remain in quarantine for 30 days at the same highland park.

The RZSS said it was ‘reasonably confident’ that there were no other lynx on the loose in the area.

The two lynx already captured are now being cared for in quarantine facilities at Highland Wildlife Park, where they will stay for 30 days before being transferred to Edinburgh Zoo.

Lynx has become a focus for rewilding campaigners who say they can keep deer populations in check, reducing damage to woodlands and allowing trees to grow.

A population of around 400 could feasibly survive in the Scottish Highlands at present, with this figure rising as woodland increases, Rewilding Britain claims.

But this release of the latest lynx into the wild is believed to be illegal.

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