PREVIEW

Three lynx, illegally released in the Cairngorms, have successfully completed their 30-day quarantine at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo and are in good health.

The wildlife conservation charity captured the young cats in early January after sightings in the Drumguish area, near Kingussie. It has now been confirmed that all three are female and estimated to be under a year old.

RZSS chief executive David Field stated, “Illegally releasing these cats into the wild was highly irresponsible and it is likely they would have died had they not been rescued.

“Thankfully, the lynx are healthy and recovering in our quarantine facilities at Edinburgh Zoo. Our team of expert keepers and veterinarians have been delighted by how well they have settled in and have been observing closely how all three are becoming more confident and beginning to show their personalities.

“Now they have successfully completed their quarantine, the challenge is to find their forever home. They will continue to stay here whilst we consider our options. All of this is expensive, so we launched an appeal for donations and have been very encouraged by the outpouring of support so far.”

For now, the lynx have been given temporary names—‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’—following the naming system used by Edinburgh Zoo’s founder, Thomas Gillespie, when it first opened in 1913.

Tragically, a fourth lynx, confirmed to be a male of similar age, did not survive after being captured in January.