The Lynx Comeback Explained

Explainer on the recent news of Lynx rewilding programme.

Transcript

00:00Is the Highland lynx really making a comeback?

00:04They went extinct 1,300 years ago in Scotland,

00:08have a successful deodorant brand named after them,

00:11and whose reintroduction into the Highlands is a topic of ongoing discussion.

00:17Now thanks to a bold new wilding program conservationists want to bring back the majestic feline,

00:23including three other of Scotland's lost keystone animals to the Highlands.

00:27Beavers, red squirrels, lynx and modern day oryx are all on the agenda to return,

00:34but the lynx may find it harder than the rest.

00:37Flashback to the start of this year when four lynx were illegally released into the King UC area.

00:43The situation caused quite a stir and reignited more conversation on the rewilding of the wildcats.

00:48Farmers and crofters were angered by the unregulated release back in January,

00:53while First Minister John Sweeney had refused any notion of rewilding them.

00:58But according to an opinion poll conducted back in January,

01:02the public support for the return of the lynx to Scotland had increased to 61%.

01:07This is a rise of nine points since the last survey was taken back in 2020.

01:12MSP Edward Mountain also called out rewilding charities back in 2023 for their ongoing campaign to reintroduce the Eurasian lynx,

01:21saying the last thing the Highlands needed is the lynx effect.

01:25However, the environmental charity Trees for Life argues its return will complement other methods of managing deer numbers,

01:31enabling more young trees to survive and Scottish woodlands to regenerate.

01:35But beyond public opinion, could the Highlands actually see this happen?

01:40Well, this ambitious missing species programme would need £3.6 million to fund its first five years,

01:47and also have to meet Scotland's strict licensing requirements.

01:50But if one thing is for sure though, the story between Scotland and the lynx isn't done just yet.

01:56Just yet.