Three areas in Britain could currently support self-sustaining populations of Eurasian lynx should this native, medium-sized cat ever be introduced here, according to new research.
Carried out by a team of scientists that included some connected with The Missing Lynx Project, the study shows that Aberdeenshire, Galloway and Kielder Forest in Northumberland have the right habitat for the once native felid that had all but disappeared from Britain some 1,500 years ago.
“Our simulations suggested a population of 240 individuals could emerge from a release in Aberdeenshire and a population of 60 from a release in either Kielder Forest or Galloway,” the scientists say in the paper published in the Journal of Environmental Management.
- Could elk soon return the UK?
- Prehistoric aurochs are back from extinction and spreading across Europe. And they could be heading to the UK
The study also looked at the chances of achieving success in the North York Moors, the Peak District, North and South Wales, the New Forest and South-east England – all of which either had a “high uncertainty” of success or were bound to fail.
The Missing Lynx Project has been set up to explore whether lynx can be reintroduced to England, and it is currently exploring whether Kielder – a forest of mainly conifer trees covering some 650km2 of Northumberland – is a potential location.
Along with this new scientific study, The Missing Lynx Project has also released the results of a consultation which show that 72 per cent of people in the project area, including those in bordering areas of Cumbria and southern Scotland, support a potential lynx reintroduction.
A project spokesperson has told BBC Wildlife that the main concern expressed by those it consulted is the issue of lynx taking livestock such as sheep.
“We’ve spent over a year talking to 10,000 people,” the spokesperson says. “We now know that lynx could flourish in Kielder and there’s broad support for it. We hope to apply for a licence but only once we have a plan that’s collaboratively designed with local people and which sets out measures that are acceptable and can be implemented.”
There is no certainty of political support for a lynx reintroduction. Michael Gove, when he was environment secretary, rejected a licence application to release six lynx into Kielder in 2018 (but The Missing Lynx Project was not involved in this), and Thérèse Coffey (who was environment secretary for a short period in Rishi Sunak’s government) said she did not support the idea of bringing lynx back.
“We’re really keen to now talk to decision makers and think about the role that lynx can play in meeting our international commitments,” The Missing Lynx Project spokesperson says.
Top image: Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Credit: Getty
More wildlife stories from around the world
- Gigantic insect as long as a cat found in Australia. It may be the country's heaviest ever, say experts
- Wild jaguar cub spotted in Argentina's Gran Chaco for first time in decades
- Tropical birds filmed catching fish mid-air for first time ever
- These trees grows underneath the ground
- When this photographer dived into a kelp forest, he was met with a truly breathtaking sight
