Three lynx that were illegally dumped in the Highlands have completed their 30 day quarantine at Edinburgh Zoo.
The wild cats were spotted roaming the Cairngorms last month – sparking a huge search to safely trace and capture them.
Experts at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) were able to humanely trap four of the cats – that no longer exist in the wild – after they were spotted in the Drumguish area, near Kingussie. Sadly one of the animals died.
Officials have confirmed that the three surviving lynx are settling into their new surroundings in the capital with a team of keepers and vets monitoring their progress. They say the next stage is to find a forever home for the animals.
The cats were confirmed last month as being Eurasian lynx – the largest of four species of the animals. And zoo chiefs have today revealed that the trio are all female, and are believed to be less than a year old. The lynx have been given temporary names ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’.
The RZSS have also confirmed that the lynx that died overnight in captivity was a male estimated to be the same age as the females.
RZSS chief executive David Field said, “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.”
Cops are continuing to probe the release of the cats. Last month RZSS officials told how the animals were showing signs of starvation when they were found.
This week another major hunt was launched for wild animals illegally released in the Cairngorms. A herd of wild boars were tracked down and culled by park rangers after they appeared on Monday around five miles near to the site where the four lynx were discovered.
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