Katharine Hay goes to the site where four lynx were illegally released in the Scottish Highlands

The Scotsman

Four lynx were illegally released into the wild near Kingussie, in the Cairngorms. Katharine Hay goes to investigate how they got there.

Transcript

00:00Hello, Catherine Hay, Rural Affairs Correspondent at the Scotsman here.

00:05So I'm just standing at the site where the pair of lynx were first spotted on Wednesday afternoon

00:12before what has recently evolved, which was another two lynx were subsequently found

00:19not far from here on Friday morning.

00:23So I'm standing in an area near Canoosie in the Scottish Highlands, which is in the Cairngorms National Park.

00:30It's about 50 miles south of Inverness and four lynx, at least four lynx in total so far

00:37have been released illegally into the wild.

00:40They've all since been recaptured successfully by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

00:46with the support of many conservationists, Police Scotland and the Highland Wildlife Park

00:51where the four cats were taken to once they were successfully recaptured.

00:57Sadly, since the last pair were taken in just a few hours later, one of them died.

01:05There's a post-mortem that's yet to be done and I've had confirmation from the Zoological Society

01:12that that will probably happen at some point next week and we'll get the results either next week

01:17or sort of in the next 10 days, hopefully.

01:19Unfortunately overnight we've had the news that one of the lynx hasn't made it.

01:24So at the moment it's very recent and we don't know what the reason for that is

01:29and of course we'll be conducting a full post-mortem.

01:32And the other lynx is going down to Edinburgh to join the other two animals down there.

01:38So obviously this is a shame in terms of the outcome, a real shame in terms of the outcome for that animal

01:45and it just illustrates the risks of these sorts of scenarios.

01:50One of the experts was saying that these cats were clearly domesticated in some way

01:57because they were pretty tame as far as lynx are.

02:01They also were in pairs and it's likely that they were maybe siblings, maybe came from the same litter.

02:09And so putting them out in conditions like last night, which the Met Office was saying

02:15was certainly coldest January night that we've had in 15 years.

02:20One farm not far from here actually recorded temperatures of minus 19.

02:25So yeah, you can imagine for a cat that's used to sort of human feeding it and maybe warmth,

02:33putting it out in conditions like this were probably not very good for it.

02:36And then from the evidence that we've seen and from the behaviour and the manner and evidence

02:40that was around the scene that was collected by the police,

02:43it appears that these are certainly captive animals, very habituated to people.

02:48Where they've come from, exactly when they came we're not quite sure.

02:52It seems like they were released very recently following the first sighting, prior to the first sighting.

03:00So what kind of facility they were kept in previously by who we're not sure,

03:05the motive we're not sure and we're doing everything we can to help the police.

03:08What we know is that these animals have been released into a very, very harsh environment,

03:13very harsh climate.

03:15From everything we've seen, from all the evidence and behaviour,

03:18it doesn't look like these animals are in any way ready for this.

03:21They've, I don't think, been prepared for life in the wild.

03:24They're very habituated to people.

03:26This is one of the coldest, if not the coldest night that we've had all year.

03:31And it's a real shame for these animals.

03:33So we've done an incredible job with all of our team here in RZSS

03:37and the local community, the landowners, the farmers, Cairngorm Rangers and the police

03:43in getting these animals out of that horrible situation that they've been put through over the last few days.

03:50And thankfully we can have these animals in a safe environment now.

03:54So just in the lay-by where the legs were supposedly dumped and illegally released,

04:03you can see down here that there's some straw.

04:05What is quite interesting is there are some porcupine quills as well,

04:11which suggests that the animals came from somewhere where somebody's also holding some other exotic animals.

04:19There was also apparently some dead chicks just lying down here, which have since been removed.

04:24But there are some feathers as well that show that there were some birds.

04:29But yes, all pointing to the fact that these animals were held in captivity

04:35or held in a private facility before they were then illegally released.

04:41And is there a possibility that there's any more out there?

04:44There have been talks in the town that there might have been six released.

04:48Well, I think we just don't know is the answer.

04:52I think obviously the reason why we were able to pick up the second two

04:56is because we've been monitoring at the first release site

04:59and we're continuing to conduct ongoing monitoring under the direction of Police Scotland.

05:04And I think obviously it's important for us to keep that possibility open.

05:10At the moment we have no indication there's any additional animals out there

05:13and hopefully this is going to be a conclusion for this really quite full-on scenario

05:21that's involved a huge number of people and we're extremely grateful for everyone's help.

05:27And it's people who've just been able to mobilise at very short notice

05:31to bring this really challenging scenario to a conclusion.

05:35So yeah, it's been an interesting story unfolding.

05:38We don't know who put them here.

05:40There's been some wild theories going around.

05:42Some groups have come out, including the Mammal Society, and said that it's rogue rewilders.

05:49There are people who are desperate for lynx to be back in Scotland.

05:53But I know Peter Cairns of Scotland the Big Picture, which is a rewilding charity

05:58and which is very behind reintroducing lynx legally into the country.

06:02They said this has been a huge disappointment to their campaigning

06:06because it's going to really set them back.

06:08And then you've got farmers and crofters from the Cairngorms Farmers and Crofting Association

06:14who are obviously understandably very anxious about what's just happened.

06:18I was just speaking to one farmer who was saying that her sheep were right next to where the lynx were spotted,

06:25actually right here.

06:27So it was obviously deeply concerning for them, their livelihoods at risk,

06:31with having big cats released so close to their livestock.

06:37So while we now know a little bit more about the lynx and what's happened to them,

06:41I'm just going to go and talk to some people to see how they feel about what's happened over the last few days,

06:50how it could impact people who are living in and nearby the area where the lynx were illegally reintroduced.

07:00Hello, my name is John McPherson. I'm the secretary of the Cairngorm Crofters and Farmers Community.

07:06Our association wholly condemns this illegal introduction of lynx to the countryside

07:16and we hope that Police Scotland catch the perpetrators and they face the full force of the law.

07:22That's the first and foremost thoughts of all the community up here.

07:29Were there concerns among farmers and crofters at the time, given there being lynx in use?

07:36Well, the lynx were released in an area very close to a number of our members' sheep farms

07:44and obviously there was concern as regards how they would habitat or how they would maybe predate on sheep and farm animals.

07:56What does the organisation feel about the conversations around the reintroduction of lynx,

08:01ones that will hopefully, if that does happen, be introduced legally?

08:05Well, I was part of a study tour to Switzerland last year.

08:10It was sponsored by Scotland The Big Picture

08:13and it was myself and other farmers, crofters and Cairngorm National Park officials

08:19invited over to see for ourselves and to speak with farmers, foresters and hunters in Switzerland

08:26as to how they've managed the introduction of lynx over there during the last 50 years.

08:32So that was a good trip to get some background and to start the conversation

08:39but it needs a very wide-ranging consultation with all the stakeholders

08:45in order to fully appreciate what a reintroduction might look like if it ever takes place.

08:54So yeah, there's all sorts of different responses and reactions at the moment going round

08:59and police said that there is an ongoing investigation to try and find out who released these big cats into the wild illegally

09:07which was certainly a welfare risk to the cats themselves

09:11but also has disturbed open dialogue about the reintroduction programme of lynx

09:18and also made farmers and crofters concerned for the welfare of their animals and their livelihoods.

09:26We'll be updating the story as and when we get any more details

09:30so just keep an eye on The Scotsman and there'll be more information to come as this story continues to evolve.

Category

Transcript

Recommended