Lynx are likely already inhabiting areas of Britain! There have been numerous eyewitness reports, not to mention specimens collected (E.g. the 'Canadian' lynx shot in 1903 that's now housed at Bristol Museum, 'Lara the Lynx', captured alive in 2001, and 'Lillith the Lynx', unfortunately shot and killed in 2017). I myself have found physical evidence in the Forest of Dean that suggests at least one Felid, comparable to a lynx in both size and shape, was at least at that time residing in the forest. Escaped Lynx do turn up on occasion, and as there is growing evidence the genus is active in Britain, how might this eventually effect the reintroduced animals? As all 'British lynx' are likely either escaped or released animals, and not necessarily of the same species, I predict the possible presence of hybrid genetic markers occurring in the bloodlines of the reintroduced lynx following the rewilding program, and if so, this may present strong molecular data in favour of the animals former presence in the UK. 🐾🐾
References:
- 'Canadian' Lynx (1903), Max Blake et al: https://www.academia.edu/11969894/Multidisciplinary_investigation_of_a_British_big_cat_a_lynx_killed_in_southern_England_c._1903
- 'Lara the Lynx' (2001): http://scotcats.online.fr/abc/realcats/larathelynx.html
- 'Lillith the Lynx' (2017): https://theconversation.com/fact-check-was-it-right-to-kill-lilith-the-escaped-lynx-87543
No comments:
Post a Comment