Rewild the UK with lynx soon? Not a cat in hell’s chance, sadly

Columnist and Environment

Rewild the UK with lynx soon? Not a cat in hell’s chance, sadly

Various projects aim to reestablish lynx as a wild species in the UK after being absent for centuries, but those involved face formidable hurdles, finds Graham Lawton

By Graham Lawton

29 January 2025

F7WX9A Adult Eurasian Lynx / Eurasischer Luchs ( Lynx lynx ) rests on a pretty thin branch, looks alert. — An adult Eurasian Lynx
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For the past couple of years, I have had the pleasure of hosting 51��‘s rewilding weekender at Coombeshead, a farm in Devon, UK, that is being magnificently returned to nature. At the end of this two-day trip for paying guests, we hold a straw poll on which large mammal the audience would like to see reintroduced to Britain. Both times there has been a hands-down winner: the lynx.

I was reminded of this when news broke in January that had been spotted – and later captured – in…

Article amended on 31 January 2025

We clarified the organisation leading efforts to rewild the Scottish Highlands with lynx

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Columnist and Environment