Wild Cats The Size Of Alsatians Could Be Reintroduced To UK To Hunt Deer

Erwin Van Maanen

The worldwide Lynx population dwindled to just 700 in the 1950s, but now ambitious plans are under way to reintroduce the stunning cat back to British shores…

After 1,300 years away from the UK, the wild cats could be on the way back to help keep deer numbers down to allow farming and forestry flourish. A survey was carried out earlier this year by the Lynx UK trust, with 91 per cent of the general public backing the move… and you can see why.

Neville Buck/Lynx-UK-Trust

There’s now a consultation taking place with farmers and landowners who will be most affected by the new measures. If approved, the Lynx could be reintroduced and dotted around the country, including sites in Aberdeenshire, Argyll, Cumbria, Norfolk and Northumberland.

Risks of reintroducing the majestic animal are close to non-existent, with no real threat to humans, pets or livestock according to independent research and are likely to provide a number of benefits to the countryside.

Rex Features

The big cat has already been reintroduced to other European nations including France and Germany and the species is now flourishing with 50,000 worldwide, with Lynx UK Trust chief scientist Dr Paul O’Donoghue describing the reintroduction into the U.K. as a ‘big step’.

The national consultation will run for the rest of 2015, before more in-detail discussions happen at a local level, planned for the new year.

UNILAD