The government’s wildlife chief has said he would be “absolutely delighted” if he could reintroduce lynx to Britain during his two-year term.
Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England - the government’s wildlife regulator - said that while debates over the labrador-sized cat’s return to the British wild remained polarised, more engagement was needed to understand how different communities would be affected.
This follows a draft application by Lynx UK Trust to return lynx to England’s largest forest, Kielder in Northumberland, using wild animals rescued from culls in Sweden.
Lynx, a species of cat which has been hunted to extinction in Britain, primarily live in forests and prey on deer or rabbits, posing no threat to humans. Lynx UK claim that they may be the answer to the UK’s overpopulation of deer, which has impacted forest regeneration with a knock-on effect on wider wildlife.
When asked if he believed lynx could be reintroduced by The Guardian, Mr Juniper said “it should be looked at and I know people are looking at it”, adding he hoped “a cross-border conversation with colleagues in Scotland” could boost prospects for the return of the species.
“Lynx do need big areas of habitat and there could be some opportunities to combine nature recovery over parts of northern England with what’s going on in southern Scotland,” he said.
“It is still quite polarised and some of these things will remain divided no matter how much effort you put in, but we need more engagement to understand how communities that would be living with these animals would be able to continue with what they do. There are in some places still serious doubts about that.”
Natural England officials have told the trust that a trial reintroduction can’t proceed because the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) rules it illegal under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. The charity believe that this could be solved with a simple statutory instrument.
Chief executive, Paul O’Donoghue, told The Guardian that Steve Reed, environment secretary, had not responded to attempts to arrange a meeting, and warned that if the government didn’t review the trust’s application for a trial release licence, then the charity would launch a court challenge.
A Defra spokesperson said: “This government is absolutely committed to restoring and protecting nature and we support species reintroductions where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment.
“We will continue to work with Natural England on species reintroductions in England.”
Lynx are currently listed on the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, which means local authorities must licence lynx keeping and can’t release them unless into a secure enclosure.
