Until around 1,300 years ago, lynx roamed wild in Britain. Across Europe, wild lynx populations are recovering in some countries, and they have been reintroduced in others where they had disappeared. Since 2020, the Lynx to Scotland group have been looking at how the animals could return to the wild. Next month, the partnership will hold discussions in countryside communities to allow people to learn more about lynx, and ask questions about how they would be introduced. Despite these conversations going ahead, the decision to reintroduce lynx would need government backing. Last year, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish government had no plans to do so. What is your view? Should lynx return to Scotland?
Yes – lynx are native to Scotland
Lynx are a native species that once roamed wild in Scotland. Reintroducing lynx would restore and maintain healthy ecosystems (communities of living things) because they naturally control the number of animals in an area. No species is able to have too big an impact and this improves the variety of plants and animals that can exist. Lynx would help to control Scotland’s roe deer population, reducing the need for culling (deliberately killing some animals to reduce the population). This is good because roe deer eat plants and young trees. Although lynx can attack and eat sheep, there are ways to pay farmers back for any losses. Besides, it would be good for tourism too – who wouldn’t want to spot a lynx in the wild?
No – their return poses too many risks
In rural communities, farming is a way of life that has been passed down through generations. Lynx prey on sheep and their reintroduction is worrying for sheep farmers. It could take the farmers a long time to get compensated for any farm animals killed by lynx. Wildlife such as foxes, hares and rabbits will also be attacked. Besides, when four lynx were illegally released into the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, last year, the animals didn’t adapt to their new home and one later died. One of the reasons lynx went extinct was because their habitat was destroyed; they need large forests to survive and thrive. Creating that sort of forest again would take a lot of work, time and money. Is it really worth going to all that trouble?
