Release Lynx. Why would you do this?

[HoraceCope]

and who is doing this?
Scotland lynx: The quest to catch Cairngorms' mysterious big cats - BBC News

Some of us are hoping they turn to Ambridge next. (Yes, it's an Archers reference. Current storyline about illegally releasing beavers.)

Turning back to reality, same reason as some animal rights activists release mink from farms or people persist in smuggling unsuitable animals into the country to have as pets. People are stupid. Many are unable to grasp that they are stupid. They think they are at least as clever as, or more likely cleverer than, everyone else. So they act without any grasp of the consequences. Then when things go wrong it's never their fault, of course, because they 'didn't know' and of course it's ridiculous to expect them to have taken reasonable steps to have found out.

This was proposed for kielder forest on the English Scottish border. There is good evidence that reintroducing apex predators has far reaching conservation and environmental benefits.

Where does one even anonymously acquire several Lynx?

so they are forcing the situation?
i think i heard that,

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g
when i was searching active convs to see Lynx, i did come across posts about the Archers

mammal.org.uk/position-statements/the-reintroduction-of-the-lynx-to-britain

For those unwilling to google here is a balanced position from a sound charity.

rogue rewilders was the phrase used this morning

A lot of environmentalists are terrified of further delays in tackling climate change and biodiversity collapse. Just look at California now. There is increasingly a view that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

i guess it is like the wolves in europe

Surely anyone rewilding (even illegally) would think about the consequences for the animals - deep winter, no shelter, not familiar with the territory, not used to sourcing own food...

Whoever it was doesn't care about the lynx! My money is on illegal pets being disposed of.

All the groups officially involved in the discussions about reintroduction have condemned this as irresponsible. It's interesting that the language used is now that the lynx have been 'abandoned' rather than 'released'.

The poor things look so scared and confused. The video where the man talks to the lynx shows that it is very used to humans and to looking to them to take of it.

Where they have been kept before is interesting. I'm sure I read that no one in Scotland has a licence to keep lynx privately but there is a trade in illegally imported animals of all types.

Highly unlikely to be anything to do with any official reintroduction organisation. Simply because it quite clearly won’t work and is dangerous for the animals. These lynx are clearly very used to humans and have probably been kept as pets, they were certainly very easily caught, poor things. Maybe some lone nutter who thinks they know better. As there haven’t been any licenses granted in the area though, maybe someone who had them as pets, unlicensed, and they somehow escaped. Whoever had them then couldn’t report it I suppose precisely because they had them illegally.

Oh great, and now one of the poor things has died.
I fucking hate humans.

very cruel to dump a tame animal that doesn’t know how to hunt and survive in the wild. The film I saw, they were practically clambering to get in the trap.

I wonder if they were pets that someone got fed up with rather than an “environmental type” because I can’t imagine anyone so stupid as to think releasing them in the cold of winter, and so tame would work.

As a Highlander who lives close to where the lynx have been released I (and most locals) are horrified. We are not generally horrified about the lynx being released there though. It's the fact they have been dumped in the most difficult, hostile and dangerous terrain in the middle of a very cold snowy winter (think snow up to your waist in lower parts of the hills). These big cats are effectively domesticated and would not have survived in the wild because they don't have the skills. Sadly one captured died last night. Wild lynx could probably live in that area but domesticated ones stood no chance. I hope whoever released them is caught, jailed and fined heavily.

I have met one well-known proponent of re-wilding and I would say they are a complete fanatic who doesn't like humans at all and would be more than happy to see the UK population to be reduced to the level of Anglo-Saxon England so that all the lovely wild animals could flourish. Very arrogant and unpleasant person.

There have been examples where the reintroduction of various species has been a success, and other examples of where it has been a complete disaster and has cost a huge amount of money in compensation for damage.

Sounds a lot better than "criminals" I guess.

At a time when there are major attempts restore a wildcat population, to release the bigger relative seems daft.

I don't think that much thought (if any) went into it.

I think they're abandoned pets. There are a lot of accounts on social media, TikTok especially, showcasing pet lynx/bobcats. Sugargliders are another exotic pet popular on there, also octopi, crabs, racoons, squirrels, and so many people "rescuing" fawns they've "found abandoned".

There are lots of stupid people out there who will get a pet, even an illegal one, based on 30 second videos of a similar animal looking cute/funny/cool online then when they realise the reality is different, they'll abandon it.

The very question we were asking down the pub this lunchtime!

BBC is reporting that one of the captured Lynx has died.

Those poor animals. I agree they're probably unwanted exotic pets that someone has tried to get rid of before they got caught with them. Absolute cretins to think the poor things could survive in the freezing conditions, or maybe they just weren't bothered.

Such beautiful creatures. How sad one of them has died because of this. Surely they must be abandoned pets, they are acting very tame and domesticated, coming so close to the humans.

I'm guessing it was someone who held the lynx illegally as pets/ part of a private zoo who couldn't or didn't want to care for them anymore. They were released next to a wildlife park which already cares for big cats so it looks like whoever released them wanted them to be found.

I'm wondering who owned them and if they have other exotic animals. They wouldn't be able to get vet care for them since they would be reported for having wild animals.

It's got to be pretty hard to keep 4 lynx hidden, whoever had them obviously has land to keep them on but they must have staff or visitors who could have spotted them.

Maybe the government could have an amnesty for handing over exotic animals held illegally.

I wonder how old the lynx are, have they been bred in this country?