Two more lynx spotted in Scottish Highland woods after pair captured

Two more lynx have been seen in the Scottish Highlands, close to the site where two of the illegally released animals were captured on Thursday.

It is understood the pair were spotted on camera traps set by staff from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in woods near Kingussie in the Cairngorms, close to where the first two were trapped.

Police Scotland has urged the public not to approach the animals, which were seen in the Dell of Killiehuntly area. It is thought all four are from the same family group.

“Officers are working with specially trained personnel to capture them,” the force said. “Inquiries suggest the sighting is connected with a release of two lynx seen in the same area on Wednesday 8 January. They were safely captured on Thursday 9 January.”

The unauthorised release of the animals, which worried local farmers and gamekeepers, has infuriated conservationists who are working on a lengthy and officially sanctioned project to set up an approved programme to reintroduce lynx in the region.

The RZSS, which is caring for the first pair at the Highland Wildlife Park near the capture sight, said their release was “highly irresponsible”.

It said the animals, members of a wild cat species which appear to have been bred in captivity, would have been likely to die in the wild, particularly in the depths of winter.

It is understood they are using the same baited trap to lure the two other cats back into captivity. Once caught, they will remain in quarantine at the wildlife park for 30 days before being taken to Edinburgh zoo.

The first pair of lynx were spotted on Wednesday evening near a layby where straw bedding was strewn around, and seemed to be comfortable around people.

Willie Anderson, a deputy team leader of the Cairngorm mountain rescue team, had come within 60 metres of the pair. “They had definitely been illegally released because they were 100 yards from a pile of straw bedding that contained dead chicks and, interestingly, porcupine quills – the bedding was peppered with porcupine quills,” he said.

“They were very tame and you could see they had been released from a nearby layby because there was the straw there too. They were only 100 yards from that spot and the road. I don’t think they would have survived in the wild.”

Edward Mountain, a Scottish Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands region, said during first minister’s questions on Thursday that those responsible for releasing the animals should face criminal sanctions.

“The release of these lynx was not only reckless and ignorant, but also illegal,” he said. “There is a reason why the reintroduction of species is carefully regulated, and those responsible must be caught and face the full force of the law.”