A conservation expert has said it was “highly irresponsible” of individuals to release a number of lynx into the Scottish Highlands.
Dr Neil Anderson, a senior lecturer in conservation medicine at Edinburgh University, condemned the actions of those responsible for releasing a total of four of the wildcats over the past few days.
Dr Anderson, who also actively works in wildlife conservation, said the perpetrators could potentially jeopardise the chances of successfully reintroducing the species to Scotland in the future.
It comes as Police Scotland launched an investigation into a sighting of another two lynx in the Dell of Killiehuntly near Kingussie, Highlands on Friday at around 7.10am.
Officers said they believe the sighting is connected to the release of another two lynx seen in the same area on Wednesday, which were safely captured overnight into Thursday.
Dr Anderson said: “I think it’s highly irresponsible to be releasing lynx at the moment in the manner in which they have been released.
“It could potentially jeopardise a proper regulated and controlled reintroduction in the future because if anything was to happen, it just makes it harder for conservationists in the future to be able to introduce lynx.
“There is a lot of regulation involved in trying to do a formal reintroduction. It’s a huge process to go through and it’s very tightly regulated for good reason because there could be adverse effects.
“You could reintroduce diseases and things like that. So there has been quite a lot of concern about potential negative impacts from these kinds of actions.”
He added: “They’ve managed to capture the first two quite quickly by the sound of things, so hopefully they’ll have similar success with the remainder.”
Inspector Craig Johnstone previously said: “Members of the public are asked not to approach the animals for their own safety and the safety of the lynx.
UPDATE
The presence of a further two lynx in the Cairngorms has been revealed overnight.
We are again working closely with Police Scotland and partners to safely retrieve the animals.
— Highland Wildlife Park (@HighlandWPark) January 10, 2025
“Officers are working with specially trained personnel to capture them safely and humanely.
“Although it may be tempting to try to find them, take pictures or set up cameras, we are asking people not to travel into the area, particularly in the current winter weather conditions.
“Please be mindful, act responsibly and allow the animal experts to carry out their work.”
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland chief executive David Field said humane traps are being set in the area to catch the animals.
“Two more lynx have been sighted in the same Cairngorms location where we successfully captured a pair yesterday,” he said.
“Further traps are being baited in the area and the hope is that these animals will be safely and humanely captured before being taken to Edinburgh Zoo to join the two captured yesterday in quarantine.
“Police Scotland and Cairngorm National Park Authority rangers are also in attendance.
“The public are being asked to steer clear of the area as a build-up of people could disturb the animals and hamper efforts on the ground.
“RZSS condemns the illegal release of wild animals in the strongest possible terms and urges anyone with information on the release of these lynx to contact Police Scotland.”
Police said inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of the sighting, and that officers are on patrol in the area and anyone with concerns can approach them.
Anyone who saw anything in the area, or who has any information, is asked to call the police on 101, quoting incident number 0387 of Friday January 10.
Speaking after the capture of the other two lynx on Thursday, Mr Field said: “It was a highly irresponsible act and it is very unlikely they would have survived in the wild due to a lack of adequate preparation.
“Their abandonment was reckless to the animals, public, the community and nature.”
Lynx to Scotland, a project working to return the species to the Highlands, also condemned the illegal release.
Peter Cairns, executive director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, one of the three charities involved in the project, said it was “excellent news” the first two lynx had been captured quickly and are safe.
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.”
The lynx captured on Thursday were taken by RZSS to quarantine facilities at the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms, with the animals due to be transferred to Edinburgh Zoo, for a health and welfare evaluation.
David Barclay, manager of the RZSS Saving Wildcats team, said that long term the creatures may be rehomed in Highland Wildlife Park, which is already home to two northern lynx named Switch and Neon.
