Lynx cat species may be reintroduced in the United Kingdom after absence of 1,300 years

A species of cat called the lynx could be reintroduced into forests in the United Kingdom after an absence of 1,300 years by the end of 2017, reported The Guardian on Saturday. The Lynx UK Trust has announced that it will apply for a trial reintroduction for six lynx into the Kielder forest in Northumberland.

The cat can grow to 1.5 metres in length and feeds almost exclusively by ambushing deer. The lynx had been into extinction in the UK. The Kielder forest has been chosen for its reintroduction into the UK, as the forest has an abundance of deer, occupies large area and is devoid of major roads.

“Lynx belong here as much as hedgehogs, badgers, robins, blackbirds - they are an intrinsic part of the UK environment,” Dr Paul O’Donoghue, chief scientific advisor to the Lynx UK Trust and expert adviser to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, said. “There is a moral obligation. We killed every single last one of them for the fur trade, that is a wrong we have to right.” However, sheep farmers and some locals are opposed to the reintroduction.

O’Donoghue said that the reintroduction of lynx could promote eco-tourism in the area, which would come as a boon for rural communities in the UK struggling to make a living. He claimed that the lynx “will generate tens of millions of pounds” for the rural communities as it had done in the Harz mountains in Germany.

Lynx would also boost the natural environment by reducing the overgrazing of forests by deer and allowing other wildlife to flourish, O’Donoghue said.

The lynx that may be released in Kielder would come from Sweden, where there is a thriving population. They would have GPS collars attached so that their location could be reported at all times. The plan is to release two males and four females into the Kielder, as part of the trial, to check whether they would mate.

But Phil Stocker, National Sheep Association chief executive said, “Even if compensation were offered, it will not make sheep mortalities acceptable. We are confident that pastoral livestock farming already delivers a highly attractive countryside with environmental, economic and social benefits.” he said. “I cannot accept that lynx could improve or deliver anything more.”