Return of the lynx

sir – Dr Stephen Westgarth’s evidence for reintroducing the lynx (Letters, November 2) is a little misleading.

He cites Yellowstone Park in the western United States, where the population density is 140 times sparser than that of the Yorkshire Dales. More than 70 of Yellowstone’s mountains are over two and a half times higher than England’s highest. This area cannot be reasonably compared to Britain.

He goes on to say that the threat to sheep farming in Switzerland and Sweden is minuscule. But Britain has 50 times as many sheep as those countries – and the density of our sheep population is 100 times greater than that of Sweden.

Dr Westgarth suggests that lynx would help cut road deaths by reducing the number of deer. Statistics on road deaths caused by deer are hard to come by, but by my rough calculation the lynx would have to slay about 270 deer a day to have any effect.

Moreover, I can’t help thinking that, if I were a lynx, I wouldn’t bother hunting deer in the forest when lambs and other domesticated animals are easily available in enclosed pastures. Even if it doesn’t come naturally, the lynx will adapt to taking farm animals once they find how easy it is.

Roger Leppard

Christchurch, Dorset

sir – What study has proved that ecotourism would outstrip sheep predation, as Dr Westgarth predicts?

I was also under the impression that Britain’s deer population explosion was that of red deer, not roe deer. If lynx cannot deal with red deer, then the losers will be our sheep farmers. Hamish Grant

Chard, Somerset