Two lynx that were “deliberately abandoned” in the Scottish Highlands have been captured safe and sound, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said.
The capture of the two wildcats comes after another two lynx seen in the Dell of Killiehuntly near Kingussie, Highlands, on Wednesday, which were safely captured overnight into Thursday. A joint effort from Police Scotland and rangers from the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) led to their capture at 6.30pm on Friday, near the Dell of Killiehuntly, where two other illegally released lynx had been captured on Thursday.
The RZSS said: “Two additional lynx who appear to have been deliberately abandoned in the Cairngorms have been safely captured this evening. The medium-sized cats were spotted on camera traps overnight on 9/10 Jan. Staff from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland then baited a series of humane traps in the area to entice them with and have been working with Police Scotland and rangers from the Cairngorms National Park Authority to monitor the area throughout the day.
Two more big cats spotted in wild in Scottish Highlands hours after pair captured
One of the two lynx which were captured in the Cairngorms National Park on Thursday
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“The animals were captured at around 6.30pm, near to the Dell of Killiehuntly, where two other lynx had been successfully caught the previous day. They will now be brought to the nearby Highland Wildlife Park to be checked over by RZSS veterinarians, before being moved to quarantine facilities in Edinburgh Zoo.”
Dr Helen Senn, RZSS head of conservation, said: “I’m sure that everyone in the community will be happy and relieved to know that the second pair of lynx have been safely captured. Early reports are that they appear to be in good health, which is the most important thing. It’s been a rollercoaster 48 hours, with people working throughout the day and night, in some extremely challenging conditions, but I’ve been so impressed by the efforts of our own staff as well as partners, and members of the local community, to ensure that the outcome is a positive one.
“The lynx will now be moved to Highland Wildlife Park before being moved to Edinburgh Zoo to quarantine for 30 days. Although we don’t think that there are any more lynx out there, we will continue to monitor the release site under the direction of Police Scotland.”
The animals were illegally released into the Highlands
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One lynx exploring its new home
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Highland Wildlife Park, situated within the Kingussie region of the Cairngorms, said in a statement of Facebook that the animals had been deserted on purpose, but reiterated RZSS’s assurance that they are in good health. The statement said: “Two additional lynx who appear to have been deliberately abandoned in the Cairngorms have been safely captured this evening.”
The police 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 incident took place. A Police Scotland statement said: “Inquiries 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 inquiries will remain ongoing in the woods, involving officers and specialist animal experts.”