Edinburgh Zoo will quarantine two lynx captured in the Cairngorms who appear to have been ‘deliberately abandoned’.
This comes after police and animal experts warned the public not to approach the large cats after they were spotted at around 7.10am on Friday near Kingussie. Additionally, two other lynx were taken to Edinburgh Zoo on Wednesday after being ‘illegally released’.
The medium-sized big cats were spotted on camera traps overnight on January 9. 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, reports the Daily Record.
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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.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Zoo said: “Two additional lynx who appear to have been deliberately abandoned in the Cairngorms have been safely captured this evening.
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“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.
“The animals were captured at around 6:30 pm, 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.
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“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.”