Efforts to capture a second pair of lynx roaming the Cairngorms are to continue well into the night as experts refuse to rule out the possibility more big cats may be on the loose.
Traps have been lain in the Dell of Killiehuntly area near Kingussie to capture two cats spotted in the wild.
The pair were seen on an RZSS wildlife camera in the early hours of this morning, prompting action from specially trained staff from the nearby Highland Wildlife Park.
Efforts to trap and recover the pair have been ongoing throughout the day, but the cats are yet to be caught.
Teams – who on Friday were tracking pawprints in the snow – are now preparing for a long night ahead, monitoring the cameras and standing ready to react to any sightings.
Lynx on the loose more than 12 hours
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Dr Helen Senn, head of conservation at RZSS, is hopeful they will strike lucky for a second time.
She said: “I think the efforts today have been going okay in the sense that we have got traps back out that worked last time.
“We are hopeful that we will be successful overnight. Lynx are a nocturnal species.”
The multi-agency operation has been underway since Wednesday afternoon.
Specially-trained staff from the Kincraig-based park were drafted in to assist with rescue efforts in the Drumguish area near Kingussie following reports of two wild cats on the loose.
Teams worked through the night to successfully trace and capture the pair, who had been “illegally released” in the area.
Within 24 hours, the cats were located, captured and quarantined.
They were then transferred to the park’s sister site at Edinburgh Zoo, where they will remain under observation for 30 days.
On Friday morning, however, the operation was revived as sightings of two further cats in the area were confirmed.
Concerns growing for welfare of wild cats
Dr Senn admits concerns for the cat’s welfare are growing, amidst the freezing temperatures.
However, she remains hopeful the lynx will be caught when hunger starts to take over.
“We are really, pretty concerned for the animal’s welfare,” she said.
“It’s really quite cold right now and this is not how you would plan a release of these animals.
“You wouldn’t plan to release them in the middle of winter.
“What we know from them is they’re really quite tame and that probably means that their hunting abilities are not great.”
Capture may become easier as the cats get peckish
Dr Senn added: “They will probably be getting pretty hungry, which is probably the reason we were able to retrap the other ones so quickly the other day.
“We have our fingers crossed for another positive outcome.”
When asked if they believe further lynx could be on the loose, Dr Senn – who is based at the Highland Wildlife Park – stressed they are “keeping an open mind.”
Traps were left out by the team overnight on Thursday, in the likelihood of further movement.
To their surprise, a further two lynx were spotted in the area.
She says they are focussing all their efforts on the lynx at hand, with surveillance set to continue for the foreseeable future.
She said: “I think we have got to keep an open mind on that.
“We definitely thought it could be a possibility and that’s why we were having surveillance camera traps on the site.
“We are obviously keeping a very close eye on all the images that we are getting in.
“But we know for sure there are two more out there and that’s what we are focusing our efforts on at the moment.
“Once we retrap those we will be continuing surveillance at the site.”
Public asked to ‘steer clear’ of the area
Teams have been working in tandem with Police Scotland and rangers of the Cairngorms National Park to ‘safely and humanely capture’ the cats.
Once secure, the lynx are expected to be quarantined before being transferred to Edinburgh Zoo – as the first pair were.
Members of the public are being asked to steer clear of the area to refrain from hampering their recovery efforts.
Dr Senn stressed: “I think what is really important is that we don’t have any disturbance at the site.
“Any disturbance that does happen, for instance, people going down there, would really hamper their recovery operation.
“I think that’s a really critical message from our perspective.”
Release of lynx a “concerted approach”
Edward Mountain, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, suggests the release is likely to have been the result of a ‘concerted approach’ to illegally introduce them into the wild.
He said: “It appears there may be a further release of lynx into the Cairngorms.
“If this is true, this would suggest a concerted approach to illegally reintroduce lynx.
“These animals cannot magically appear.
“The authorities should be tackling this wildlife crime with an absolute focus on finding out who is responsible.”
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