Vets take action to save Poland's lynx

Eurasian lynx kitten. File picture

Image by: Bernard Landgraf / Wikimedia commons

Growling furiously, Benek the lynx cub looks up with baleful eyes as a veterinarian squats by his cage and takes aim with a tranquiliser gun.

"It'll take a half hour to knock him out," says Jakub Kotowicz, vice-president of the Rehabilitation Centre for Protected Animals in Przemysl, southeastern Poland.

The feline snarls as the dart strikes its haunch, but minutes later is toying kitten-like with another pink, fluffy-tailed missile which went off target.

"If he was a bear, we'd need a whole night to get him under," jokes the centre's head Radoslaw Fedaczynski.

Eradicated from much of Europe 150 years ago, lynx still roam the continent's forested north and east.

Europe's population of Eurasian lynx is estimated at 7,500 to 8,000 -- excluding those in Russia -- with the bulk found in Romania, Scandinavia and the Baltic states.

An estimated 200 of the solitary wildcats live in Poland, mostly clustered near the northeastern borders with Belarus, Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad territory and in the southern Carpathian Mountains, Benek's home turf.

The Eurasian lynx is in far better shape than its critically-endangered Spanish and Portuguese cousin the Iberian lynx, about 100 of which remain in the wild.

But life isn't easy and Benek -- Polish for "Benny" -- is lucky.

After becoming separated from his mother, and too young to hunt game properly, he emerged from the forest.

Locals called the care centre after finding him just before Christmas in Bircza, a village 27 kilometres (17 miles) from Przemysl.

"He was trying to catch chickens from the region's farms but got chased up a tree by some dogs. When we found him, he was starving, exhausted and needed our help," said Andrzej Fedaczynski, 52, who with his son Radoslaw runs the regular veterinary practice doubling as a voluntary care centre for wild animals.

Benek has been getting the best care possible: shots, glucose and medication to boost his metabolism.

He's the fifth lynx to have passed through in three years.

"We don't want to be a lynx sanctuary. Our goal is to get them back to the wild," said Radoslaw. "They have an excellent instinct for self-preservation."

The tranquilised Benek is carried limp-limbed from the isolated cage where he is being kept to stop him getting used to humans, past a domestic cat about to be seen by a vet. It freezes in its owners lap.

"He weighed much less than he should, so we can't use his weight to determine his age. But size and external appearance tell us he's between six and 12 months old," said Kotowicz.

"It's hard to say when we'll be able to let him go. For now he's too weak. We only have 200 lynx in Poland, so each one is very valuable for the local ecosystem. We have to be 100 percent sure he'll cope in the wild," he added.

Benek is regaining his appetite for a normal lynx diet of deer and smaller game.

But if he reaches his third birthday -- and sexual maturity -- he will be an exception.

"Only one in four lynx actually make it to sexual maturity," according to Urs Breitenmoser of the Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"It's a balance between different odds," he told AFP in a telephone interview.

Hunted, often by the ruling elite, until the fall of Poland's communist regime in 1989, lynx have since enjoyed legal protection.

But Krzysztof Schmidt of Poland's Mammal Research Institute insists the threats are still manifold here.

Shrinking forests have restricted their territory, and the thinning of woodlands makes it harder for lynx to stalk or hide out to rest, he said.

"Then there's the development of road networks in terms of further habitat fragmentation, roadkills to a lesser extent, and poaching, although that's not very significant," he added.

"Overall, I don't think it's a paradise for lynx. However, they're still lucky here," he said.

Schmidt contrasted Poland with the Baltic state of Estonia, home to around 800 lynx, between 80 and 180 of which are hunted annually for fur and skull trophies under a legal quota.

There is good news for some of those felines: plans are underway to use up to 40 Estonian lynx to repopulate the forest wilderness of northeast Poland's Mazuria region.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/01/31/vets-take-action-to-save-poland-s-lynx

Bradford Council launches investigation after big cat sighting in Shipley

A sighting of a lynx has been reported in Shipley

9:50am Saturday 21st May 2011
By Marc Meneaud

Bradford Council is investigating a reported sighting of a “three-foot lynx” cat near the River Aire in Shipley. A woman dog walker from Bingley spotted what she was convinced was a big cat dash out of woodland – chasing a deer – near Nab Wood.

Former RSPCA officer Pam Laking said the woman, who did not want to be named, had reported the sighting to vets and Bradford Council’s countryside service.

Bob Thorp, the Council’s trees and woodlands manager, said Lynx are not native to Britain, but it was “not impossible” that a lynx could have escaped from someone who had imported it as a pet.

Mrs Laking, who is chairman of the Friends of St Ives group in Bingley, said: “This woman was convinced that what she saw was a big cat. She was walking her dog by the river between Nab Wood and Hirst Wood and suddenly a deer shot out in front of a three-foot lynx.

“I can totally believe it. Everybody is ringing everybody else saying ‘be careful’ when they are walking their dogs.”

Mr Thorp said: “It is unlikely that a lynx cat is living in Hirst Wood as we have not had any other reported sightings, but then again it is not impossible as it could have escaped from someone who had imported it.

“The lynx is not native to Britain, so if it is a lynx – which has not been verified – it must have been brought in from outside the country.”

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/9040843._I_saw_lynx_run_from_woodland_/

Catbeast - Four new sightings

Published on Saturday 21 May 2011 13:00

THE catbeast of Calderdale has been spotted again – by four more witnesses.

One of them described the elusive cat – either a lynx or puma, like the one pictured – as “massive...absolutely huge.”

The four who claim to have had a brush with the beast have come forward since the Courier featured 19-year-old dog walker Sean McGeady’s encounter last Monday.

Kay Hall believes she spotted a lynx while out walking a dog from Croftmount Kennels in Lane Head Lane, Ogden, Halifax.

The 60-year-old, of Ogden, said: “There was this bird swooping down at it and it made a hissing noise, a weird noise. It was much too big to be a cat.

“I stopped and watched it and it kind of stalked away.

“It was dark in colour and had very big, pointy ears.

“There’s no way it was a fox. It was totally different. It really spooked me.”

Heather Scurrey, 28, of Elland, was out walking her dog Stig when she says she saw a huge black cat on a hill in Ainley Top.

She likened the beast to a puma and said it was about the size of a large German Shepherd dog.

“It was definitely a cat of some description and had a very large, long tail,” she said.

“I have a cat myself so recognised the gait as it was walking and it was not another animal.

“I know what I saw and that was a large puma-like black cat.”

Shannon Griffin, 37, was out hunting rabbits with his friend Gary Roberts, 44, in fields off Deanstones Lane, Queensbury, when he spotted what he thought was a fox at first.

But after taking a closer look through binoculars, the pair believe it was a cougar.

“It had a black-tipped tail and a big round head,” said Mr Griffin, of Bierley in Bradford.

“It saw us and then crouched down under the bushes. It was absolutely massive.

“I did feel a bit intimidated, I thought it could have been stalking us. I’ve been hunting down there for over 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

And another man, who did not want to be named, said he and his neighbours spotted a large black cat in fields off Claremount Road in Boothtown, Halifax.

“It was big with a long curly tail,” he said. “The tail was about the same length as it’s body, about three foot long.

“I saw it from my flat window. I panicked a bit. My neighbours said they’d seen it and called the police.”

• The Calderdale catbeast - mammal or myth? Let us know what you think: email yoursay@halifaxcourier.co.uk*

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/local/catbeast_four_new_sightings_1_3404430

Catbeast ‘ is like a lynx’ - new sighting by dog walker

Published on Monday 9 May 2011 12:30

THE catbeast of Calderdale has been spotted on the prowl for the second time in months.

Teenager Sean McGeady glimpsed the animal – which he likened to a lynx – while walking his dog in Lightcliffe.

The 19-year-old said: “I walking along Nunlea Royd, approaching my home in Bentley Avenue, when a large creature shot across my path.

“It was about five metres away and flew from my left to right, entering a nearby park.

“It appeared too fast, large and lean to be a dog, cat or fox.

“It cleared the paths and road in two bounds, its feet only hitting the ground in the centre of the road.

“It appeared to have a light brown colouration, lighter than a fox. It looked very lean and muscular, and was perhaps the size of a lynx.”

Mr McGeady took his dog home after he spotted the beast at around 11.30pm then ventured back out with a torch to search the area.

But by now the creature had vanished.

“I consider myself a very sceptical person, but that was no domestic pet,” he said.

The last catbeast sighting was reported by Vanessa Pickles, of Brow Foot Gate Lane in Cote Hill, Halifax, in February.

The 24-year-old was on her way to work when she spotted the huge creature roaming a lane leading into Copley Woods from Wakefield Road.

She described it as lynx-like with black and brown patterned markings.

It was the first time a big cat sighting had been reported in three years.

There was a spate at Cunnery Woods, Hipperholme; Park Road, Elland; Cragg Vale and Copley between 2005 and 2007.

Some were of a lynx-like creature while others were of a larger black beast like a panther or puma.

Edward Ashman, Calderdale Council’s countryside manager, said they could be exotic pets that were released when animal licensing laws were introduced.

“They move over such large distances that we could have a couple of animals covering the length and breadth of Calderdale,” he said.

“There is plenty of food about, because we’ve got an ever-increasing wild deer population, so they could susain themselves.”

• Did you see the catbeast? Email your sightings to newsdesk@halifaxcourier.co.uk or call 01422 260208

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/local/catbeats_is_like_a_lynx_new_sighting_by_dog_walker_1_3363109

Big cat sightings on rise in Cape Breton

CBC News
Posted: Mar 15, 2011 3:59 PM AT

The Natural Resources Department is reporting an unusually high number of large cat sightings in central and western Cape Breton.

The department believes most are lynx, though some may be bobcats.

Two weeks ago, Kate Oland was driving near her home in Middle River when she saw a lynx on the snowbank beside the road.

"It was definitely glossy and shiny and healthy looking. Very beautiful, very majestic. I had to slow the car right down and I was able to follow it for quite a ways down the road," Oland said.

"It was such a sunny day and it was against the white snow, with the sunlight filtering through its whiskers and everything, when it turned to look at me. It was just a beautiful, beautiful glimpse. I wished I had a camera."

Oland said the lynx looked at her and then calmly trotted away.

Bruce Murphy, a wildlife technologist with Natural Resources in Whycocomagh, said that in the past month sightings have been reported from Port Hawkesbury to Margaree.

Murphy believes the large cats are looking for food.

He said they likely have left their normal territory because of heavy snow in the Cape Breton Highlands, and the declining population of snowshoe hares, which are a mainstay in their diet.

It's also breeding season, Murphy said, so many of the cats may be searching for a mate

"You don't approach the animal in any way — give them their space and hopefully the animal will return to the wild," he said.

"But, you know, if the animal appears to be injured in any way, emaciated, contact the local DNR office and someone will be there to assist."

Because bobcats are extremely shy of humans, Murphy believes most of the sightings have been of lynx. He said lynx have longer legs, larger paws and ear tufts.

Murphy says the cats are not dangerous but if people don't want them around, they should hide away possible food sources.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/03/15/ns-lynx-sightings-cape-breton.html

Do giant paw prints mean big cat is on the prowl in Capital?

Published Date:
11 January 2011
By ADAM MORRIS

THEY are shadowy creatures who create claws for concern for farmers across the UK.

But now Edinburgh might have its own big cat on the prowl.

Residents of Newhaven have been left feline distinctly uncomfortable after the discovery of huge paw prints in the snow.

They believe an animal - like a puma or lynx - may be behind the tracks and experts say it is possible the mystery cats may be venturing into the Capital to search for food.

Nora Robertson, 81, who has lived in the area since childhood, discovered the prints on an early morning walk near her home in Andrew Wood Court.

"It was still dark so I had my torch with me, and the light reflected off one of these large prints," she said.

"I followed the track all the way to my neighbour's garden, which showed it had jumped up over a wall.

"I've never seen anything like this. We get a lot of foxes around here and there is a lot of woodland and unused paths."

Sightings of big cats themselves and their prints are fairly common in Scotland, particularly in Perthshire and Fife, where recent pursuits of the Perthshire Puma and the Beast of Balbirnie have taken place.

Big cat experts, who keep a register of sightings, said frequent reports of the creatures were made in the wider Lothian area.

But sceptics have often pointed out that if they did exist, much like the myth of the Loch Ness Monster or UFOs, conclusive photographic evidence would surely by now exist.

George Redpath, a member of Cupar-based Big Cats Scotland, said: "It's unlikely but not impossible.

"We have been getting more sightings in Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow.

"Perhaps - as foxes have - they have come into cities more to scavenge for food, particularly after the freezing weather we've had over the last months.

"It can be difficult to tell from prints in the snow, it can sometimes distort the real size of a print. It is hard to confirm any suspicion like this until there is a conclusive photograph, but the sightings continue. Over the weekend we had one reported from the Bilston area.

"We just don't know what type of cat they could be. In Scotland we've had puma, lynx and possibly leopards."

Other residents of the street also noticed the larger-than-normal paw prints.

Maureen Porteous, 71, said she spotted a large cat in her garden during the summer, but did not think much of it until seeing the tracks.

"I just don't know, it all seems strange, and these prints are certainly much bigger than a normal cat," she said.

"Last summer I looked out to the garden and caught sight of a really big cat, but forgot about it until now.

"My own cat has also been behaving strangely over the weekend, it's never been away from the window but won't go out, which is unusual.

"It's as if something's really spooked it."

WILD AT HEART

The possibility of a Newhaven big cat is not a first for the Lothians.

In October 2005 a mystery "black beast" described as "panther-like" was hunted by police in Haddington. The incident came shortly after a similar animal had been seen in the Dunbar area, and after several big cat sightings near Roslin.

In 2004 a man claimed to have seen a large black cat in the grounds of Merchiston Castle School.

The Big Cats in Britain research group has estimated around 40 big cats are on the loose in Scotland.

Their existence is often put down to the 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which ruled that such animals could not be kept without a licence. After it was passed, many owners are thought to have let their pets run wild.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Do-giant-paw-prints-mean.6686399.jp

Do giant paw prints mean big cat is on the prowl in Capital?

Published Date:
11 January 2011
By ADAM MORRIS

THEY are shadowy creatures who create claws for concern for farmers across the UK.

But now Edinburgh might have its own big cat on the prowl.

Residents of Newhaven have been left feline distinctly uncomfortable after the discovery of huge paw prints in the snow.

They believe an animal - like a puma or lynx - may be behind the tracks and experts say it is possible the mystery cats may be venturing into the Capital to search for food.

Nora Robertson, 81, who has lived in the area since childhood, discovered the prints on an early morning walk near her home in Andrew Wood Court.

"It was still dark so I had my torch with me, and the light reflected off one of these large prints," she said.

"I followed the track all the way to my neighbour's garden, which showed it had jumped up over a wall.

"I've never seen anything like this. We get a lot of foxes around here and there is a lot of woodland and unused paths."

Sightings of big cats themselves and their prints are fairly common in Scotland, particularly in Perthshire and Fife, where recent pursuits of the Perthshire Puma and the Beast of Balbirnie have taken place.

Big cat experts, who keep a register of sightings, said frequent reports of the creatures were made in the wider Lothian area.

But sceptics have often pointed out that if they did exist, much like the myth of the Loch Ness Monster or UFOs, conclusive photographic evidence would surely by now exist.

George Redpath, a member of Cupar-based Big Cats Scotland, said: "It's unlikely but not impossible.

"We have been getting more sightings in Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow.

"Perhaps - as foxes have - they have come into cities more to scavenge for food, particularly after the freezing weather we've had over the last months.

"It can be difficult to tell from prints in the snow, it can sometimes distort the real size of a print. It is hard to confirm any suspicion like this until there is a conclusive photograph, but the sightings continue. Over the weekend we had one reported from the Bilston area.

"We just don't know what type of cat they could be. In Scotland we've had puma, lynx and possibly leopards."

Other residents of the street also noticed the larger-than-normal paw prints.

Maureen Porteous, 71, said she spotted a large cat in her garden during the summer, but did not think much of it until seeing the tracks.

"I just don't know, it all seems strange, and these prints are certainly much bigger than a normal cat," she said.

"Last summer I looked out to the garden and caught sight of a really big cat, but forgot about it until now.

"My own cat has also been behaving strangely over the weekend, it's never been away from the window but won't go out, which is unusual.

"It's as if something's really spooked it."

WILD AT HEART

The possibility of a Newhaven big cat is not a first for the Lothians.

In October 2005 a mystery "black beast" described as "panther-like" was hunted by police in Haddington. The incident came shortly after a similar animal had been seen in the Dunbar area, and after several big cat sightings near Roslin.

In 2004 a man claimed to have seen a large black cat in the grounds of Merchiston Castle School.

The Big Cats in Britain research group has estimated around 40 big cats are on the loose in Scotland.

Their existence is often put down to the 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which ruled that such animals could not be kept without a licence. After it was passed, many owners are thought to have let their pets run wild.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Do-giant-paw-prints-mean.6686399.jp

From Estonia to Poland – one of Europe’s largest predators relocated for survival

Warsaw – WWF plans to introduce lynx from Estonia into the Polish forests of Piska and Napiwodzko-Ramuckie in order to combat the declining population in the country. The first felines should be relocated by February 2011.


Bobcat numbers have been decreasing dramatically in Poland in the past 20 years resulting in the listing of the species, mainly threatened by hunting and habitat loss, in the Polish red Book of Animals in 1995.

‘The lynx’s survival is at stake in Poland. With the transfer of animals from Estonia, we hope to repopulate the forests and prevent the species from extinction in the country’ said Pawel Sredzinski, leader of the WWF Poland Lynx Campaign.

Lynx population in Poland have benefitted from a ban prohibiting hunting passed in 1995.

Although lynx are listed on the Appendix II of CITES and international trade is forbidden, illegal hunting still represents a major threat. In Estonia, it is estimated that over a hundred animals are hunted annually for their fur.

WWF started raising funds to pay for the transfers. The cost of relocating just one lynx is 10’000 Zloty, almost eight times more than the country’s minimum wage.

There are currently only 200 lynx in Poland. Most of them live in the Polish Carpathians but an estimated 60 felines live in the Piska and Napiwodzko-Ramuckich forests where the Estonia bobcats will be introduced.

http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?197275/From-Estonia-to-Poland--one-of-Europes-largest-predators-relocated-for-survival

From Estonia to Poland – one of Europe’s largest predators relocated for survival

Warsaw – WWF plans to introduce lynx from Estonia into the Polish forests of Piska and Napiwodzko-Ramuckie in order to combat the declining population in the country. The first felines should be relocated by February 2011.


Bobcat numbers have been decreasing dramatically in Poland in the past 20 years resulting in the listing of the species, mainly threatened by hunting and habitat loss, in the Polish red Book of Animals in 1995.

‘The lynx’s survival is at stake in Poland. With the transfer of animals from Estonia, we hope to repopulate the forests and prevent the species from extinction in the country’ said Pawel Sredzinski, leader of the WWF Poland Lynx Campaign.

Lynx population in Poland have benefitted from a ban prohibiting hunting passed in 1995.

Although lynx are listed on the Appendix II of CITES and international trade is forbidden, illegal hunting still represents a major threat. In Estonia, it is estimated that over a hundred animals are hunted annually for their fur.

WWF started raising funds to pay for the transfers. The cost of relocating just one lynx is 10’000 Zloty, almost eight times more than the country’s minimum wage.

There are currently only 200 lynx in Poland. Most of them live in the Polish Carpathians but an estimated 60 felines live in the Piska and Napiwodzko-Ramuckich forests where the Estonia bobcats will be introduced.

http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?197275/From-Estonia-to-Poland--one-of-Europes-largest-predators-relocated-for-survival

Another big cat is spotted in the area

Thursday, June 17, 2010, 09:20

A DOSTHILL man spotted what he believes to be a wild Lynx while walking his dog.

Michael Heaven saw the creature on Monday, June 7, at 9am as he walked his border collie along a public footpath in Hedging Lane towards to back of the B&Q store.

He said: "On stopping at the back of MFI, which has been closed for some time, I looked into the deserted yard. I saw what looked to be a large fox but this animal turned out to be a large cat which was walking away from where I stood.

"It had a very large tail which it was swishing about.

"The animal then turned its head to the side and I saw it had a cat-like head with large pointed ears. It was grey in colour and had black markings. I think it was a Lynx, it was definitely not a moggy.

"This animal carried on walking to the top of the yard and disappeared into the grass.

"This was most unusual place to see such an animal. I would like to know if anyone else has seen any animal which has a similar description," he added.

http://www.thisistamworth.co.uk/news/big-cat-spotted-area/article-2315684-detail/article.html

Blonde raccoon is star of show at new wildlife centre

RIGHT: Terri Petter holds her blonde raccoon Fingers at the site of where her wildlife education center will be built. Renee Jones Schneider, Star Tribune.

CALL OF THE WILDLIFE

A landmark furniture store in Farmington is being transformed into a wildlife education center, along with a gift shop and restaurant.

By DEAN SPIROS, Star Tribune
February 21, 2010 - 7:29 PM

The array of country furniture and accessories displayed in a sprawling timber building has always been but part of the lure of Oak & Treasures in Farmington.

For some, a weekend just wasn't complete without stopping in to talk to Fingers the blonde raccoon, who regularly occupied a pen in the back of the store. Or to get an up-close look at the wolf that often kept Terri Petter company in her office while she worked at the store belonging to her mother, Eunice.

After 15 years, the animals are moving from the back rooms and into the spotlight. Oak & Treasures is closing its doors and will reopen as a wildlife education center in the fall.

"The Habitat" will display a variety of native animals in their natural surroundings inside large, fenced-in pens. The inside of the log building will feature a bar and grill and gift shop. The walls will be adorned with animal mounts accompanied by educational text.

It's the brainchild of Apple Valley native Terri Petter, who grew up with a love of the outdoors and the creatures that inhabit them.

"Working with critters has always been her dream,'' Eunice Petter said. "We've been working toward this point for five years. It's just a good time to do it.''

"I always wanted to educate people on the outdoors and to get kids off the couch and away from the video games,'' Terri Petter said. "Getting people back outside to enjoy wildlife.''

Terri Petter has more than 100 animals, including cougars, wolves, bobcats, lynx, badgers, foxes, prairie dogs and ground hogs. They are housed on her 100-acre ranch in Apple Valley. Petter has a U.S. Department of Agriculture permit, and she said all of the animals have been purchased from a USDA-licensed facility.

"I don't have any kids; those are my kids,'' Terri Petter said. "I protect them like they are my kids.''

A landscape makeover will include the addition of trees, boulders, plants and ponds. "You're going to be able to walk out there and feel like you are up north,'' Terri Petter said.

Admission prices stand at $7.50 for adults and $5.50 for children. Yearly memberships will be available. Petter also is seeking corporate sponsorships and accepts donations.

The Petters have purchased an adjacent 70 acres of farmland they plan to use for future expansion of the habitat. Plans call for a petting farm featuring horses, cows, chickens and the like.

The current going-out-of-business furniture sale runs through May 1. Construction will begin soon after, weather permitting.

Eunice Petter has been in the furniture business for over 30 years, dating back to her days as an antiques dealer at Lake and Hennepin in Minneapolis. She also taught history for 30 years in the Apple Valley school district. While sad to see the furniture store close ("I'll miss the customers"), she's excited about her daughter's new venture.

"It's a big gamble,'' said Terri Petter, who put her ranch and her mom's timber building up for loan collateral. "I might be living in a box in two years. But I think it's worth it.''

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/84920632.html
(Submitted by D.R. Shoop)

Lynx provides luge with animal magic

Agence France-Presse 02/09/2010 12:06 PM

WHISTLER, Canada – After days fretting over snow and protesters, Winter Olympics officials were confronted with reports of a wild animal on the loose at the Whistler sliding centre here on Monday.

The beast was spotted as lugists trained at the venue's high-speed track with some believing it was a cougar before the intruder was identified as the smaller lynx, which is native to North America.

"We received a call that there was a wild animal sighting in the upper start area," said John Gibson, the venue press manager.

A local conservation officer was called to the site who decided there was no security threat and no need to stop the session.

"They determined it was most likely a lynx, and not a larger cat such as a cougar," said Gibson.

The Whistler Sliding Centre is no stranger to the small animal, which has been spotted prowling the perimeter of the track in the past.

Members of the track crew have even named the length of track between curves nine and 10 "Lynx" after seeing the creature in the area one summer.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/classified-odd/02/09/10/lynx-provides-luge-animal-magic

See also: http://news.stv.tv/oddly-enough/156261-wild-lynx-puts-frighteners-on-whistler-sliders/

Alladale Estate applies for zoo licence

By Caroline McMorran
Published: 17 December, 2009

CONTROVERSIAL plans by Alladale Estate owner Paul Lister to introduce wolves to a wilderness reserve already established on his land, have taken a major step forward.

Alladale Wilderness Reserve manager Hugh Fullerton-Smith this week publicly announced his intention to apply to the local authority for a zoo licence.

European elk and wild boar are already roaming in enclosures on the 23,000 acres estate, located near Ardgay. And, if the zoo licence is granted, then wildcat and wolves - not seen in the wild in Scotland for thousands of years - could be added to their number.

The move is expected to raise enormous concerns locally.

Both Mr Lister and Mr Fullerton-Smith were out of the country and unavailable for comment this week. They are expected to return to Alladale next week.

But Highland Council officials confirmed that they had received a "Notice of Intention" from Alladale Wilder-ness Reserve as required under the Zoo Licencing Act 1981. That Notice of Intention is now also available for members of the public to read.

Golspie based environmental health officer Andy Hirst said: "I think this is a once in a lifetime situation and I certainly have never experienced this type of application before."

Millionaire businessman Paul Lister, son of the co-founder of the MFI furniture chain Noel Lister, bought Alladale Estate, which covers five glens and two river systems, in 2003.

Shortly afterwards he announced plans to create a wilderness reserve.

He has since invested massive sums towards achieving his aim of introducing Scotland's so-called "big five" to the estate - grey wolves, brown bear, lynx, boar and bison.

Two years ago the estate successfully applied for a Dangerous Wild Animal Licence to introduce European elk and wild boar into specially constructed enclosures.

And now Mr Lister and Mr Fullerton Smith are apparently ready to take their plans a step further and introduce wolves and wildcats.

In background papers lodged with the local authority, estate manager Mr Fullerton-Smith states: "The Alladale Wilderness Reserve facility will be unlike any present conventional UK zoo, both in types of enclosures it uses and ways in which only a limited number of resident visitors and environmental education groups will view the animals."

According to the papers, it is intended to introduce three European wolves and eight European wildcats onto the estate along with another six wild boar and two elk.

The animals will be housed in three separate fenced areas each of which will contain animal accommodation, management facilities and service buildings. The highest fence - a two-metre high deer fence - will surround the European elk enclosure. The wolves will be fed on a range of "natural" carcasses and game off-cuts.

Only guests staying at Alladale will be allowed on to the wilderness reserve. The maximum number of visitors on the reserve will be limited to 35, although school parties are expected to increase that number to around 70 on some days.

The papers state: "Visitor access to the wolf enclosure will be from the service road through a locked gate and along a fenced footpath and across a bridge to a roofed viewing area."

Meanwhile Highland Council officials say that strict procedures will be followed in determining the estate's application, including a public consultation period.

Inverness-based senior animal health officer Gillian Bain said: "The zoo licence regulations are fairly proscriptive in the way they work."

And local environmental health officer Chris Ratter said: "The estate has to follow certain procedures and part of the procedure is to put an advert in a local and national newspaper and also put signs up around the area of Alladale to say that the intention is to apply for a zoo licence."

http://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/6970/Alladale_Estate_applies_for_zoo_licence.html

(Submitted by Lindsay Selby)

The lynx effect?

Mar 24 2009 by Sam Beattie, Evening Gazette

THE truth may be out there - but it’s going to take more than a bowl of Kitekat to tease it out.

Because in the battle of brains versus the beast, Teesside’s mysterious big cats currently have the upper paw.

Despite our area being among the best in Britain for sightings, experts still can’t put their finger on exactly what Teessiders are seeing, while sceptics still argue there’s nothing to put your finger on.

But six unexplained sightings were recorded by Cleveland Police between 2001 and 2004. And in the last 10 years, 110 official reports have been logged on Teesside and within a stone’s throw of the region.

For a man who has spent half his life tracking big cats, Mark Fraser, seems surprisingly level-headed when it comes to totting up the evidence.

“Teesside’s been one of the most consistent places in Britain for large black cats,” said the dad-of-three who ran Big Cats In Britain’s annual conference at the Marton Hotel in Middlesbrough.

“The question is where are they? The question of whether we have them is gone now.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the prints we get are dogs. But if you get one print out there that’s a large cat, it means there’s a large cat out there. Our main task is getting to the bottom of what witnesses see. We’ve got to go where the evidence leads us.”

Mark, 45, has used motion sensitive cameras and stakeouts during his surveillance, often being called into big cat hotspots following sightings.

“It took me 15 years before I saw one. I had a camera round my neck - and I never took a picture. I was that gob-smacked,” he remembered.

“I ran past it in the dark and it just sat yards away watching me. It was as large as an Alsatian but all the features akin to a domestic cat.”

Ian Bond, a Teesside-based ecologist, who logs encounters of the furred kind for the Big Cat Diaries for Northumbria Mammal Group, said: “My big question is how many are there? Are there enough for a breeding population or is it just the odd animal?

“I’m sure they’re just animals that have been released. I think if they were well-established, we’d be seeing more of them. But one cat can give an awful lot of sightings.

“There are three main areas in the North-east at the moment. There’s Tynedale. There’s what I call the Trimdon Panther around West Hartlepool. There have been several sightings there recently - just this year. And the other area is the North Yorkshire Moors.

“We’re obviously dealing with more than one cat in the North-east. I think we’re dealing with at least three but it could be more.”

Local researcher Chris Hall subscribes to a different school of thought.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that these exist. But the only question is what are the large black animals? My own theory is they’re an indigenous, undiscovered species.”

So while discovering the truth can be rewarding, not knowing can be even more interesting.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2009/03/24/thelynx-effect-84229-23215572/