A confirmation that lynx will not be reintroduced into the wild has been welcomed by a local MP.
SNP Westminster Rural Affairs spokesperson and Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan has received an assurance from the Scottish Government that there is no intention to allow the reintroduction of lynx.
The Scottish Government have confirmed there are no plans to reintroduce lynx into the wild. Inset: SNP Westminster Rural Affairs spokesman and Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan.
It came in the week where lynx were illegally release in the Kingussie area with some having already been recaptured.
Mr Logan MP said: “This assurance from the Scottish Government is very welcome.
“I am aware that this issue surfaces quite regularly when environmental organisations suggest reintroducing lynx to Scotland, and the events of the past few days are a good example of why this would be a bad idea.
“The message needs to go out that there is no appetite for lynx reintroduction through any formal process and doing so illegally simply puts these animals and the wider environment at risk.”
Scottish Government Minister Alasdair Allan MSP said in written response to Mr Logan: “I would like to reassure your constituents that the Scottish Government has no intention to reintroduce lynx to Scotland.
“There are also currently no licence applications to reintroduce lynx or any other large carnivorous species into Scotland.
“The Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations sets out when conservation translocations may be appropriate, and the types of situations in which they may cause problems to wildlife, people and the environment.
“However, the Scottish Government does not believe that there is the necessary support amongst the Scottish public in general and land managers in particular for such a reintroduction to take place at present.”