Page 60 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #02

AGENDA ANALYSIS

An application to
release six lynx
into Kielder Forest,
Northumberland, is
being considered by
Natural England.

Lillith the lynx escaped
from captivity and
ended up in a caravan
park. Some experts
dismiss claims that she
was ever a public threat.

hen a young to lynx reintroduction in any
female lynx area of the UK. Lillith, it seems,
escaped from had unwittingly scored an own
THE CASE WBorth Wild goal, putting back the case for
Animal Kingdom in Mid Wales the reintroduction of her own
FOR THE in late October, nobody could species into the wild.
have foreseen the scale of the
outrage that was unleashed.
After Borth zoo spent two
First, it was the turn of local DANGER CAT
MISSING of seven sheep were found in recapture Lillith, council
weeks trying and failing to
farmers when the carcasses
officials decided she had to
a field, suggesting Lillith had
be destroyed because of the
used her new-found freedom to
LYNX practise her hunting skills. danger she posed to the public,
which was described as having
Post mortems revealed the
“increased to severe” after she
sheep had been killed by a
single bite to the neck. Two
park. When this was carried out
had been partially eaten, but took up residence in a caravan
the other five were otherwise there was a backlash, especially
untouched, all suggesting a on social media.
lynx – rather than feral dogs, “Since the disgraceful
THE ESCAPE OF A LYNX FROM A ZOO as had also been mooted – was slaughter of poor Lillith, lynx
IN WEST WALES REVEALED HUGE the culprit, claims the National are back in the news,” reads
DIVISIONS OVER OUR ATTITUDE TO Sheep Association (NSA). one Facebook post. “Please
LARGE CARNIVORES. HAS LILLITH “There cannot be a clearer support these guys to bring this
SPOILED THE CASE FOR BRINGING warning of the damage lynx beautiful cat back to the UK.”
By “these guys”, the poster
PREDATORS BACK TO THE UK OR could do if they were released was referring to the Lynx UK
into the wild,” says Phil Stocker,
SHOWN WE ARE FINALLY READY TO chief executive of the NSA, an Trust, which currently has an
S
J
DEAL WITH THEM, ASKS JAMES FAIR. organisation resolutely opposed application being considered by
60 BBC Wildlife February 2018