Zoo ‘solely responsible for death of lynx Lillith’
THE zoo from where a lynx escaped was solely responsible for her death, the local council has insisted.
Lilleth, a young Eurasian lynx, escaped from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom, near Aberystwyth, more than a fortnight ago.
But after concerns about the public’s safety, especially if the animal – which is about twice the size of a domestic cat – went near a child, an armed marksmen killed her.
She was “hunted down and shot dead” by marksmen on Friday, Ceredigion council confirmed, after discussing options with the police, the Welsh Government and the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales.
Yesterday, the council said the blame for Lillith’s death lies solely with the zoo and its owners, Tracy and Dean Tweedy, for failing to recapture her and putting the public at risk.
In a statement, they said: “The council wishes to make it clear that the recapture of the animal was the responsibility of Borth Wild Animal Kingdom. The council and DyfedPowys Police offered as much assistance as possible, but the owners were specifically responsible for the recapture. Their failure to capture the escaped lynx in reasonable time meant that decisive action had to be taken to protect the public.”
The Tweedys said they were “devastated” after they heard about Lilleth being killed, but Tracy did accept responsibilty for her escaping in the first place.
“We clearly didn’t shoot her,” she said. “Yes, we are responsible for the fact she got out and we are devastated by what happened.”
It was later revealed that another lynx at the zoo, Nilly, who had shared an enclosure with Lilleth, had also died in the same week when a keeper accidently strangled her using a dog noose. The zoo said they were saddened by the news, but said staff had been “under incredible pressure” and said there had been “a terrible handling error”.
The RSPCA aid the incidents acted as a “timely reminder” to the challenges in running a zoo – and say only experienced staff should be in charge of wild animals.
Dr Ros Clubb, senior scientific manager, specialising in captive wild animals, said: “It is vital that such premises are run with extremely experienced, competent staff, who are able to cater to the particular needs and requirements of the animals they are caring for.
“Owning and running a zoo is a huge and costly commitment, and carries with it the responsibility for the welfare of, what can be, a large number of specialist animals.”
The statement comes as animal charity, Lynx UK Trust, have set up a petition calling for the zoo to shut.
More than 3,000 have signed the online petition to get Ceredigion council to close what they call a “hobby zoo”.