Revealed ...where lynx could be released
Predators set to return to three Scots regions despite fears of farmers
WILD lynx could soon return to Scotland for the first time in more than 1,000 years.
The Eurasian lynx, the third largest predator native to Europe after the brown bear and grey wolf, is believed to have been extinct in Britain since 700AD.
But the Lynx UK Trust has chosen three sites in Scotland where it is seeking to bring the big cats back.
It plans to submit a licence application to Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in the autumn, which could lead to lynx being reintroduced this year.
Supporters of ‘rewilding’ claim that the return of the lynx would help to control deer populations and boost tourism.
But farmers fear the predators will pose a threat to their lambs as the wild cats need to eat up to 4.5lbs of meat a day.
Martin Kennedy, of the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFUS), said: ‘Our members have huge concerns.
‘Advocates of lynx reintroduction always seek to downplay the potential impact on farming and tell farmers that their concerns are unjustified, but it is not their livelihoods at risk.
‘Our members are already having to deal with the consequences of the reintroduction of white-tailed eagles and the illegal reintroduction of beavers.
‘On a study trip to Norway in 2017, an NFUS delegation heard that, in 2016, Norwegian authorities paid out compensation on 20,000 sheep lost to predators.’
Of those sheep deaths, Mr Kennedy said that 21 per cent had been attributed to lynx. Phil Stocker, of the National Sheep Association (NSA), said: ‘In recognition of the fact that lynx, as opportunistic predators, could pose a threat to flocks, the NSA will continue to work hard to ensure these new applications and any reviews of previous applications do not result in their release back into the UK.’
The Lynx UK Trust is seeking to release six lynx only 30 miles north of Glasgow in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, with another six in the Glen Feshie region, near the Cairngorms National Park, and the same number in the Kintyre peninsula in Argyll.
Paul O’Donoghue, chief scientific adviser of the Lynx UK Trust, said: ‘There’s some fantastic habitat connectivity in Scotland making it possible for lynx to live all the way from Glasgow to Inverness and across to the Cairngorms if a trial reintroduction was successful, bringing huge positive change to rural communities.
‘We recognise the concerns sheep farmers have, though farming unions have repeatedly overstated the threat.
‘Besides the ecological benefits, there are real-world examples of lynx bringing phenomenal eco-tourism revenue and jobs to remote rural areas.’
An application to reintroduce lynx to Kielder Forest in Northumberland was turned down personally by Environment Secretary Michael Gove in December, but the Trust plans to apply again this summer.
Guy Opperman, MP for nearby Hexham, said he surveyed 400 of the closest houses to where lynx might be reintroduced and 90 per cent of the responses were against the move.
The Conservative MP said: ‘I am disappointed the Trust are once again asking to do this.
‘The application previously was inadequate and very upsetting to the community.’
Any lynx brought to Scotland, if licences are granted, would be imported from Sweden.
The Trust will hold public meetings next month in Argyll, Perthshire and Kincraig.
‘Livelihoods at risk’