Lynx on the loose: Police Scotland investigate after two more animals spotted after first pair captured. Are lynx dangerous?

Officers have been told that the animals had been seen in the Dell of Killiehuntly area near Kingussie at about 7.10am on Friday.

Officers said they believe the sighting is connected to the release of two lynx seen in the same area on Wednesday, which were safely captured overnight into Thursday.

Members of the public have been warned not to approach the animals, and police said they are working with specially trained personnel to capture them.

Royal Zoological Society of Scotland chief executive David Field said humane traps are being set in the area to catch the animals.

“Two more lynx have been sighted in the same Cairngorms location where we successfully captured a pair yesterday,” he said. “Further traps are being baited in the area and the hope is that these animals will be safely and humanely captured before being taken to Edinburgh Zoo to join the two captured yesterday in quarantine. Police Scotland and Cairngorm National Park Authority rangers are also in attendance.

“The public are being asked to steer clear of the area as a build-up of people could disturb the animals and hamper efforts on the ground. RZSS condemns the illegal release of wild animals in the strongest possible terms and urges anyone with information on the release of these lynx to contact Police Scotland.”

Police said inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of the sighting. They are appealing to anyone who saw anything in the area, or who has any information, to call 101, quoting incident number 0387 of Friday January 10.

The “illegal release” of the animals into the wild has been condemned by wildlife groups, who said it is very unlikely the animals can survive.

Speaking after the capture of the two lynx on Thursday, Mr Field said: “It was a highly irresponsible act and it is very unlikely they would have survived in the wild due to a lack of adequate preparation.

“Their abandonment was reckless to the animals, public, the community and nature.”

Lynx to Scotland, a project working to return the species to the Highlands, also condemned the illegal release.

Peter Cairns, executive director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, one of the three charities involved in the project, said it was “excellent news” the first two lynx had been captured quickly and are safe.

He added: “The Lynx to Scotland project is working to secure the return of Lynx to the Scottish Highlands, but irresponsible and illegal releases such as this are simply counter-productive.”

The lynx captured on Thursday were taken by RZSS to quarantine facilities at the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms, with the animals due to be transferred to Edinburgh Zoo, where their health and welfare will be assessed.

David Barclay, manager of the RZSS Saving Wildcats team, said that long term the creatures may be rehomed in Highland Wildlife Park, which is already home to two northern lynx named Switch and Neon.

Are lynx dangerous?

Lynx are medium-sized wildcats that live in forests across the United States, Europe, and Asia. There are four main subspecies of lynx - the bobcat, which is found all over America, the Canada lynx, the Eurasian lynx whose habitat stretches from France to Korea, and the Iberian lynx, which is found in just a few areas of Spain. The Iberian lynx is an endangered species, but the others are not.

Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and France have reintroduced lynx to forests in an attempt to restore balance in the ecosystem - to stop deer and rabbits from overpopulating areas..

Lynx are a type of big cat, but most are the size of a large dog such as a labrador - nowhere near the size of African big cats. According to the charity IFAW - the International Fund for Animal Welfare - lynx live solitary lives, “sticking to their own territory and making dens under fallen trees or in abandoned burrows”.

They are not thought to be dangerous to humans although may attack if they feel threatened - if they are cornered, for example. But in general they are more likely to run away from people. The Missing Lynx Project, which looks to reintroduce the animals to England, says: “Lynx are elusive and solitary animals. They avoid humans wherever they can and hunt in woodland. Lynx do not generally pose a problem for people and are extremely unlikely to stray near well-visited areas. Lynx are not dangerous to people. You’re unlikely to ever even see a lynx. It is also extremely unlikely that lynx will attack pets.”