Scottish farming chiefs have demanded “zero tolerance” for wildlife criminals following the “reckless” illegal release of four lynxes in the Highlands.
NFU Scotland (NFUS) also highlighted “historical prosecution failings” on Tayside as it called for the perpetrators to be held to account “swiftly”.
The union said its members had predicted such an incident.
And it revealed its president, Martin Kennedy, had written to Farming Minister Jim Fairlie and Acting Climate Change Minister Alasdair Allan to stress the importance of quickly identifying the culprits and bringing them to justice.
‘Highly irresponsible act’
In his letter, Mr Kennedy said, “The recent illegal release of four lynxes in the Cairngorms was a highly irresponsible act, but sadly one our members have been predicting for some time.
“We are extremely grateful for the swift action taken in recapturing the animals.
“But we believe more must be done to identify the individuals responsible and to bring them to justice.”
He added: “We welcomed the issue being raised at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday January 9.
“The first minister stated ‘it should not have happened, it was an illegal act.”
“I therefore write to urge you to make resources available to fully investigate this crime.”
The illegal release of species onto our rural land is a wildlife crime. Those who carry out this act must be justly prosecuted.” Martin Kennedy, NFU Scotland.
Mr Kennedy said those responsible “must be identified and receive sanctions”.
This will send out a clear message that illegal releases will not be tolerated, he added.
He continued: “The illegal release of species onto our rural land is a wildlife crime.
“Those who carry out this act must be justly prosecuted.”
NFUS members had become increasingly concerned about illegal “rewilding” releases, he revealed.
And he said the release of beavers on Tayside in 2006 was a model for environmental groups seeking to bypass due process and legal hurdles to force a re-wilding of species.
Beavers released on Tayside caused thousands of pounds-worth of damage
He went on: “The lack of sanctions against the individuals who released the beavers on Tayside, causing thousands of pounds-worth of damage, has always been a bitter pill for farmers to swallow.
“Those who perpetrated the crime had clear intentions.
“NatureScot and the Scottish Government chose to allow the animals to stay, under the auspices of a trial, allowing the numbers to expand and receive protected status.
“Environmentalists and the public vilified landowners for wanting to protect their land against damage, whilst applauding those who committed the unlawful release.”
Rural crimes are often difficult to solve due to their remoteness.
No suspects were ever identified in the Tayside case, leaving the perpetrators unpunished.
Mr Kennedy said: “The lack of consequence… has led to a spate of ‘beaver bombings’ in England, where similar illegal releases have taken place, causing concerns from our members that illegal releases will become the norm.”
The Highland lynxes grabbed national attention when the first pair were spotted in the Drumguish area, near Kingussie, on January 8.
Staff from the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig joined the hunt.
Within 24 hours the cats were located, captured and transferred to quarantine at Edinburgh Zoo.
On January 10 it emerged there was a second pair in the area. These were also recaptured but one of them died. All four cats were starving when they were captured.
Conversation