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On the face of it, it seems a near-impossible task. Catch one of the most elusive wild cat species, which has been set loose in a landscape twice the size of the Lake District National Park. But this week experts were faced with this challenge not once, but twice.
Barely 24 hours after two escaped cats were captured in the Cairngorms, wildlife authorities were hot on the trail of two more after they were spotted in the same area.
This curious tale began on Wednesday night. Police Scotland posted on social media a warning that two lynx had been spotted near Kingussie, a town of roughly 1,400 people, south of Aviemore. The public were asked not to approach the animals if they encountered them. A search was launched involving Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) keepers from the nearby Highland Wildlife Park.
They were faced with a few challenges. The Cairngorms National Park is the UK’s biggest national park, sprawling across 1,748 sq miles and includes parts of five local authorities – Aberdeenshire, Angus, Highland, Moray and Perth and Kinross.
Despite these seemingly impossible odds, the two lynx were captured successfully on Thursday – just hours after they were spotted.
A possible clue to where the “Cairngorms Four” originated from was reportedly found near where they were spotted. BBC Scotland News understands bedding was discovered with porcupine quills in the straw. Did whoever release the cats own other exotic animals? Wildlife groups keen to see lynx one day roam free under legal reintroductions have been highly critical of lynx being let loose.
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