Zoo could sue council for killing lost lynx
THE owners of an escaped lynx shot dead by a marksman insisted the killing was completely unnecessary last night – and could now sue the council that gave the order.
Lillith, an 18-month-old Eurasian lynx, went missing for almost two weeks after leaping over the electric fence around her enclosure.
Baited traps, heat-seeking drones and even a police helicopter were all deployed in the operation to recapture her.
But after she was spotted asleep under a caravan in an empty holiday park, Ceredigion County Council in mid Wales decided that drastic action was needed.
Lillith’s owner, Tracy Tweedy, 47, of Borth Wild Animal Kingdom near Aberystwyth, insisted she posed only the same threat to humans and wildlife as a fox.
But the council said it had no choice but to destroy the animal humanely after experts warned that the risk to the public had increased.
The lynx, which was worth £5,000 and as big as a labrador, was shot by a professional marksman on Friday evening. Mrs Tweedy said she would consult lawyers today to see if the council could be sued. She added: ‘We will fight them every step of the way.’
The council is thought to have refused to tranquillise the animal because the sedative takes 15 minutes to work, potentially allowing her to run away again.
But Mrs Tweedy, who took over the zoo with her husband, Dean, six months ago, said last night: ‘They wanted to shoot her from day one.’
News of the killing caused outrage on social media, with hundreds of locals incensed that the wild cat had not been caught instead.
She added: ‘We feel devastated that a healthy animal that was no more danger to anyone than a fox has been killed.
‘The caravan park where she was spotted was closed for the winter – there were no humans there except the owners.’
But Andrew Venables, who shot the lynx, said attempts to catch it were ‘farcical’ and killing it was the only option. He added: ‘The very sad truth is the fact an animal was allowed to escape in the first place and that the owners were unable to catch it.’
The council said: ‘Despite exhaustive efforts to recapture the animal, the group responding to the incident received additional advice from a specialist veterinary surgeon that the risk to public wellbeing had increased from moderate to severe due to the continued failure of the Wild Animal Kingdom to recapture the lynx. It was necessary to act decisively.’