UPDATE: One of the lynx captured yesterday by Kingussie has died
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has confirmed that one of the lynx captured yesterday has sadly died overnight.
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Dr Helen Senn, RZSS head of conservation 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.”
Steve Micklewright, Chief Executive of Trees for Life which is a member of the three-charity Lynx to Scotland partnership, said:
“We await the post mortem results, but the tragic death of one of these beautiful, charismatic animals shows why illegal animal abandonment like this is so irresponsible and wrong. We hope the other three lynx are safe and well following the superb efforts of experts in trapping them so rapidly.
“This sorry saga is a reminder why an official future reintroduction of lynx to the Highlands must be properly managed with habitat assessments, public consultation, and a government licence. This would be a huge win for Scotland in the fight against extinction, and allow it to join other European nations in benefitting from the return of these stunning, shy animals which are a vital missing part of our ecosystems.”
