LYNX AND SHEEP

One of the biggest concerns that farmers and other landholders have is the risk a free-roaming lynx poses to sheep and lambs. While predation numbers are low in most European countries, in Norway, where 2–2.5 million sheep and lambs graze annually in the forests, they are much higher. Between 1995 and 2005, 5462-9862 sheep were compensated for annually as killed by lynx.

The nuanced nature of predator-prey dynamics makes behaviour difficult to accurately predict, with variables including the animals, landscape and climate. Other concerns include the import of pests and parasites, and the effect predator presence may have on the sheep, including possible miscarriage if a pregnant ewe is chased. Or disruption to eating patterns as the sheep become more vigilant, looking up and around rather than head down, eating.

Compensation schemes are not a simple solution: the value of breeding, pedigree or hefted animals can be difficult to quantify, and at times those animals are irreplaceable. A financial exchange also does not necessarily affect any farmer’s emotional connection to and feeling of responsibility towards their flock or the distress caused by the loss. Welfare standards are high in the UK and this is often a point of pride. The industry is also a fragile one, with extra costs hard for many farmers to bear.