Lynx in Kielder Forest? Big cats could soon roam Northumberland
By
Tony Henderson
The Lynx UK trust is looking at Kielder Forest as a reintroduction site in a move to curb Britain's growing deer population
A Lynx
Wildlife experts say the reintroduction of wild lynx in Kielder Forest could curb a growing deer population. The
Lynx UK Trust is surveying potentially suitable sites for the release
of the labrador-sized cat, which was once a native animal in Britain.
Lynx
disappeared from UK forests around 1,300 years ago most likely as a
result of fur hunting, which combined with deforestation to leave the
species at just 700 individuals across Europe by the 1940s. Since
then the population has expanded to around 10,000, with the species
being reintroduced successfully into countries like Germany, France and
Switzerland.
Now, the Lynx UK Trust believe that the UK is an
ideal candidate for the next reintroduction effort - with Kielder Forest
one of the suggested locations. And Northumberland Wildlife
Trust conservation officer Kevin O’Hara, who visited a lynx
reintroduction scheme in Bavaria in Germany, has backed a possible move.
He said: “The reintroduction of species will always be
controversial but lynx are not a bad idea considering Britain’s
burgeoning deer population, with could do with some control.
John Busfield
Kielder
“Lynx are a lone, secretive creature which steers well clear
of people and there is a lot of space at Kielder, so there may be
something in reintroducing a top level predator.” Focused on hunting deer species and smaller prey such as rabbit and hare, the lynx is extremely elusive.
Dr
Paul O’Donoghue, chief scientific specialist at the Lynx UK Trust,
said: “These are beautiful cats which will fit beautifully into the UK
environment. “They’re extremely shy animals which have never
attacked a human anywhere they live, and everywhere they live their
preferred prey is deer which we have a serious overpopulation issue with
in the UK. “That overpopulation damages forest habitats that most of our wildlife rely on. Reintroduction of a specialist deer predator will help control the population level and force changes in deer behaviour. The
threat of predation will keep them moving across the entire forest,
grazing more sustain ably, rather than staying in one area and stripping
it bare; and that benefits everything else in the ecosystem.” Michael Marsh (@MJ_Marsh) tweeted; "Plessey Woods and Kielder favourite pastimes" photo taken by Owen Humphreys
Concerns raised by some sheep farmers at the plans have been
met with assurances of a comprehensive and generous compensation
programme. But the trust says that research from Europe shows
that lynx very rarely prey on sheep, preferring the hiding places of
remote forestry to the open environment of farms or sheep moors.
Dr
O’Donoghue added: “The forestry in Kielder is some of the most
extensive in the UK, with very little human disturbance and good
populations of deer. “It represents an ideal place for trial
reintroductions, and of course there’s an exciting long term potential
to link together Galloway, Ettrick and Kielder forests with wildlife
corridors, supporting a good population of lynx across the
Scottish-English border. “This is an amazing opportunity for our
natural ecology and for rural communities to develop eco-tourism around
lynx presence, and we’d love to hear from landowners of forestry in the
area that might be interested in providing a release site.”
A
Forestry Commission spokesman said: “ We have not had any formal contact
on this issue but we would be interested in seeing any proposals and
what research had been done. “We would then take a view.” Reports
of alleged “big cat” sightings in the North East over the last 10 years
have included claims that some are lynx which may have been escapees
from private collections or pets which have been freed.
The Lynx
UK Trust is made up of a group of expert feline conservationists with
specialisations in areas such as wildlife reintroductions, field
research, ecology, biology and genetics, who are working to return a
sustainable population to the UK over the next decade.
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