Two more Lynx spotted in Highlands one day after big cats captured

Two more Lynx spotted in Highlands one day after big cats captured

Two more Lynx are on the loose in the north of Scotland just days after two of the big cats were captured.

Police and animal experts have warned the public not to approach the beasts after they were spotted at around 7.10am on Friday in the Dell of Killiehuntly area near Kingussie. Staff from the Highland Wildlife Park and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland are supporting officers to track the animals and asking locals to avoid the area.

Two Lynx that are understood to have been illegally released on Wednesday were traced the following day and were taken to Edinburgh Zoo for quarantine and assessment.

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David Friel, the CEO of the wildlife conservation charity Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, added: "Two more lynx have been sighted in the same Cairngorms location where we successfully captured a pair yesterday.

The lynx were illegally released.
The lynx were illegally released.

"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 on 101, quoting incident number 2179."

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An update on the Highland Wildlife Park Facebook page said: "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.

"Whilst lynx present a low risk to humans, we would ask anyone who does spot them not to approach nor to attend the area."

A post on the Police Scotland Highland & Islands Facebook page regarding the most recent Lynx on the loose said: "Members of the public are asked not to approach the animals and officers are working with specially trained personnel to capture them.

"Enquiries suggest the sighting is connected with a release of two lynx seen in the same area on Wednesday, 8 January. They were safely captured on Thursday, 9 January.

The lynx on the loose earlier this week.
The lynx on the loose earlier this week. -Credit:Royal Zoological Society of Scotland/SWNS.

"Enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of both sightings. If anyone saw anything in the area or has any information then please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0387 of Friday, 10 January, 2025."

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Lynx have not existed in the wild in Scotland for 1300 years.

The release of the animals has been slammed as "highly irresponsible", with Highland Wildlife Park saying it is likely the cats would died if left in the wild. In a statement, they said: "We condemn the illegal release of these lynx in the strongest possible terms. It is very unlikely they would have survived in the wild."

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