The lynx (Lynx lynx) is an elusive ambush predator and is the most feasible of Scotland’s missing carnivores to be reintroduced.
Global distribution
The Eurasian lynx has one of the largest ranges of any of the world’s cat species, and was originally distributed throughout most of Europe and northern and central Asia. Today it occurs from Scandinavia eastwards through all of Russia and Siberia to North Korea, in Mongolia and China, and southwards to northern India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is also found in northern Iran, Turkey, Georgia and some of the central Asian republics.
In Europe the largest populations are in Scandinavia, the Baltic region, and in the Carpathian Mountains of Poland, Slovakia and Romania. A smaller population exists in the Balkans, particularly in Macedonia. In Western Europe, successful lynx reintroductions have taken place in Switzerland, Germany, France and Slovenia, while natural spread and colonisation has led to new populations occurring in northern Italy, parts of Germany and Croatia.
Distribution in Scotland
The lynx has been absent from Britain for a long time, although research and findings in the past 20 years have shown that it persisted much more recently than had previously been thought. Lynx bones from a cave in Sutherland were radio-carbon dated at about 1,800 years old, while some from a cave in Yorkshire were dated to about 1,550 years ago. Cultural references to the lynx in both the Gaelic and Old Welsh languages also indicate that the species survived into the early medieval period.
Before its extirpation from Scotland, it is likely that the lynx occurred in much of the country, when forests covered substantially more of the land than today. In recent decades there have been a number of sightings of lynx reported in the UK, and in the few cases where bodies were recovered these have been attributed to animals that escaped from zoos or private collections.
Because of its wide geographic range and consequent numbers, the Eurasian lynx is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, meaning that it is not facing any imminent threats at a global level. However, some of the populations in Europe that are geographically isolated are considered to be Endangered. It is included on Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and Appendix III of the Bern Convention, which means that trade in the species can take place, but only under strict regulations.
As an EU member state, the UK government is obliged to consider the feasibility and desirability of reintroducing extirpated species listed on Annex IV of the Habitats Directive, which includes the Eurasian lynx.
Absent from the Caledonian Forest for several centuries, the Eurasian lynx is now being advocated as the most likely larger carnivore to be reintroduced to Scotland. Research suggests that the habitat and prey availability of the Scottish Highlands could support a viable lynx population. Its return would reinstate the missing top tier in the forest’s food web, restore essential ecosystem services such as predation and disturbance, and, if similar experiences in Germany are repeated, would be a major marketing symbol and wildlife tourism asset.
