Our statement on the illegal release of Lynx into the Cairngorms National Park

Saving Wildcats were pleased to assist at the request of Police Scotland, with the capture of two lynx that were illegally released into the Cairngorms National Park. Based at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Highland Wildlife Park, our team has decades of combined expertise in caring for and trapping cat species and our team worked tirelessly throughout the night to carefully trap the animals. We are extremely grateful to all our project partners, residents, estates and farmers locally that provided information to us and the police. The team were ably assisted by Wildland staff on the ground and close working between all parties allowed for a swift and positive resolution in this case.

Saving Wildcats condemns the illegal release of these lynx, which we feel was entirely irresponsible. Illegal releases of animals undermine the genuine conservation efforts of organisations such as ours, that aim to take into consideration the views of all stakeholders that could be affected by the releases of wild animals, often over the course of several years.

Genuine reintroductions must be undertaken with a translocation license issued by NatureScot. These licenses help to evidence that releases adhere to the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations; strict guidelines to ensure the successful and responsible release of a species.

Releases undertaken without a license and especially without community consultation are reckless and have the potential to endanger wildlife, people and the environment. They also undermine genuine conservation efforts, achieved only through the hard work of committed people and organisations. We passionately believe in the power of reintroductions to save species from the brink of extinction, but these can only be achieved through close partnerships that require trust. Trust that is severely undermined by illegal activity such as this.

Saving Wildcats has been working on the releases of wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park since 2019. The wildcats that we have released, as part of our evidence-based and long-term partnership, have all been extensively prepared for the challenges of life in the wild.

To learn more about this process, you can watch the newly released series ‘Wildcats: Cait ann an Cunnart’ on BBC ALBA, which chronicles the first year of releases of wildcats in the Cairngorms National Park, undertaken by Saving Wildcats.