Experts have warned against ‘rogue rewilding’ amid speculation it could be responsible for two pairs of lynx being illegally released in the Highlands.
The second pair of lynx were captured near the Dell of Killiehuntly on Friday, a day after the first incident nearby.
Police are probing the release of the animals, who were on the loose in the Cairngorms National Park, and believed to connected to the ones that had been in the Drumguish area on Thursday.
The latest pair were taken to the Highland Wildlife Park before going to Edinburgh Zoo for a period in quarantine.
They were caught on a wildlife camera left out from the previous night and were seen tentatively inspecting one of the unbaited traps left ‘on the off chance there were more’ as they struggled through the thick blanket of snow in the early hours.
Experts from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) confirmed the second pair of ‘deliberately abandoned’ lynx had been captured at 6.30pm on Friday.
On Saturday, The Scotsman reported that some conservationists believe a ‘frustrated activist’ who wants to see the lynx returned to Scotland may be responsible for the release.
David Field, chief executive of RZSS, said the lynx is ‘wonderfully full of character’ as an animal but should still be considered as a wild cat.
The first pair of were spotted on Wednesday afternoon around two miles from a wildlife park in the Drumguish area, near to Kingussie
A CCTV screenshot of the second pair of lynx, pictured early on Friday morning (RZSS/PA)
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Sadly there are rogue rewilders out there who bypass all the established international best practice and bypass all professional organisations which are discussing lynx coming back to Scotland.
‘They are impatient and then proceed in a way which is this rebellious rogue rewilding. That’s really sad and that’s a real, real risk.’
He stressed it could also simply be the abandonment of animals which someone no longer wished to look after.
The first pair, named the Killiehuntly Two, were caught on Thursday after trail cameras were set up near baited traps and the RSZZ remains of the opinion ‘that they definitely wouldn’t survive in such harsh conditions’.
They are now in the care of specialist staff at Edinburgh Zoo, where they will remain in quarantine for the next month.
It was originally believed that they had escaped from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Highland Wildlife Park, which does have lynx.
But both police and the park confirmed on Wednesday night that they were not from the attraction and instead are thought to have been set loose illegally.
The latest pair will also be transported south to be assessed for their health and wellbeing.
David Field, chief executive of RZSS, said the lynx is ‘wonderfully full of character’ as an animal but should still be considered as a wild cat
One of the two lynx, which were successfully captured in the Cairngorms National Park earlier this week
Staff at the Highland Wildlife Park inspect one of the captured Lynx before it is transferred to Edinburgh Zoo
There have been calls for lynx to be returned to the Scottish countryside in a rewilding trial
The Cairngorms National Park Authority said it was treating the sighting of the wild cats as a ‘suspected illegal release’.
The RZSS has said the captured lynx are tame and are used to humans.
Lynx, which can be roughly the size of a labrador, are usually shy and solitary creatures and attacks on humans are virtually unheard of.
Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands Edward Mountain said the second capture of lynx ‘would suggest a concerted approach to illegally reintroduce lynx’.
He said: ‘These animals cannot magically appear, and the authorities should be tackling this wildlife crime with an absolute focus of finding out who is responsible.’
RSZZ claimed the illegal release of the animals was ‘reckless ‘ as they were ‘quite tame’ and ‘habituated to humans’ so would have been unable to fend for themselves.
But Highland Council, and nearby Moray and Aberdeenshire councils, confirmed no licences for lynx under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act have been issued. All 13 other councils which responded also confirmed there were no licences issued to keep the animals.
Experts estimate the first pair were released ‘no more than 24 hours’ before their capture and say if the second pair are part of the same group they may have been released around the same time.
Enquiries are going on now to establish where the animals did in fact originate from
While they do not believe there are any more lynx that have been released, the RSZZ source said: ‘We can never rule it out’.
Police Scotland Inspector Craig Johnstone said officers were working with specially trained personnel to capture the animals ‘safely and humanely’ and that enquiries were continuing ‘to establish the full circumstances of both sightings’
Lynx became extinct in the UK around 1,000 years ago and there are now calls for them to be reintroduced into the wild.
Police Scotland said inquiries into how the lynx ended up in the area are continuing, and officers and wildlife experts will continue to examine the area where the animals were found.
Earlier this week Peter Cairns, director of one of the charities involved, condemned the illegal release.
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.’
NatureScot, which is responsible for the management and conservations of wild animals in Scotland, described the illegal release as ‘completely unacceptable’.
A spokesman said: ‘Reintroduction projects are often complex and need careful consideration and planning to ensure national and international best practice guidelines are met.
One of the two Lynx, which were successfully captured in the Cairngorms National Park on Thursday, exploring their new home
The first pair, named the Killiehuntly Two, were caught on Thursday after trail cameras were set up near baited trapsear to Kingussie
‘Any proposed lynx reintroduction would require a significant amount of consultation, as well as evidence to assess the risks and benefits associated.’
There have been calls for lynx to be returned to the Scottish countryside in a rewilding trial – a move opposed by farming groups including NFU Scotland.
The case for reintroducing lynx to Scotland was discussed in the Scottish Parliament for the first time in 2023.
In 2021 a group of charities launched a consultation on assessing people’s views about the potential of reintroducing Eurasian lynx to Scotland.
The predator could help control booming numbers of roe deer, supporters of the plan have argued.
The Labrador-sized Eurasian lynx was once native to Scotland but was driven to extinction some 500-1000 years ago through hunting and habitat loss.
It has since been reintroduced back in several parts of Europe, including in areas used for farming, hunting, forestry and tourism.