IT has been announced that one of the lynx captured last week after being illegally released in the Highlands has passed away.
The death of the big cat comes after the two lynx were captured overnight on Wednesday last week, before another two were later spotted and captured on Friday.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) worked alongside Police Scotland to safely trap the cats and house them in quarantine facilities in Edinburgh Zoo.
Whilst the first pair of lynx were safely captured from the Dell of Killiehuntly and moved to the Highland Wildlife Park and later Edinburgh Zoo, one cat from the second pair of lynx sadly did not make it through Friday night.
The exact reason as to why the animal died is unclear, but it is understood that the animals were under a huge amount of stress after being released into the wilds of the Cairngorms.
Investigations are underway to uncover who released the lynx into the area, in what has been described as a “highly irresponsible act”.
Both Police Scotland and Rangers from the Cairngorms National Park authority helped to monitor the area, whilst the RZSS set humane traps to capture the animals and bring them to safety.
In an update by the RZSS, head of conservation Dr Helen Senn 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.
“Whatever the case, this unfortunate development just 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.
“Our team of expert keepers and veterinarians will now ensure that they get the best possible care moving forward.
“The surviving member of the pair will now be heading down to Edinburgh to quarantine alongside the two lynx who were captured on Thursday.
“I’d like to say a massive thank you to the local community who have been amazing throughout this entire episode, rallying around at short notice and supporting the team through some extremely challenging conditions.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said today: “The two lynx seen in the Dell of Killiehuntly area near Kingussie around 7.10am on Friday, 10 January, 2025 have been safely captured.
“The animals are now in the care of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
“Enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of how they came to be in the area, as well as the additional pair of lynx which were captured on Thursday, 9 January, 2025.
“We would continue to ask people not to travel to the area, particularly in the current weather conditions.
“Further enquiries will remain ongoing in the woods, involving officers and specialist animal experts.”
