Are There Lynx in the UK? Extinction and Reintroduction Plans

Was the lynx native to Britain?

Yes. The Eurasian lynx lived across Britain after the last Ice Age, when much of the island was covered in forest. Its bones have been found in caves and archaeological sites from southern England to northern Scotland, alongside those of wolves, brown bears and wild boar.

For a long time, people assumed the lynx vanished thousands of years ago. That changed in the early 2000s, when lynx bones from Kinsey Cave and other caves in the Yorkshire Dales were radiocarbon dated. The youngest results fall roughly between the 2nd and 6th centuries AD, showing that lynx still lived in northern England during or after the Roman period.

When did lynx die out in Britain?

Nobody knows the exact date. Besides the bones, there is a written clue: an early medieval Welsh poem known as Dinogad’s Smock, probably composed somewhere between the 7th and 10th centuries, describes a father hunting a “llewyn”, a word many scholars translate as lynx, in what is now Cumbria. Some historians think later references to “wild cats” in Scotland might also refer to lynx, but this is uncertain.

The likely causes of extinction are the same ones that removed the lynx from most of western Europe: clearance of the forests it needed, the loss of wild deer through over-hunting, and direct persecution. Britain lost its last wolves around the 17th and 18th centuries, which left the island with no large land predators at all.

Why do some people want lynx back?

Supporters of reintroduction make three main arguments:

• Deer control. With no large predators, roe and red deer numbers have risen sharply in parts of Britain. Heavy browsing stops young trees from growing and strips the undergrowth that many birds need. A lynx kills roughly one roe deer a week and also makes deer move around more, which can give woodlands a chance to regrow.
• Restoring a missing species. The lynx is native, and Britain has signed up to international agreements that encourage restoring lost species where it is practical.
• Tourism. In parts of Europe, the chance to see signs of lynx brings visitors to rural areas.

Studies have estimated that the Scottish Highlands contain enough woodland and deer to support a few hundred lynx, and that the Kielder Forest area on the border of England and Scotland could support a smaller population.

Current reintroduction proposals

Northumberland and Kielder. In 2018, the Lynx UK Trust applied to release lynx into Kielder Forest. The application was rejected by the UK government, which said it did not meet IUCN guidelines for reintroductions. A separate partnership, the Missing Lynx Project, led by the Lifescape Project with Northumberland Wildlife Trust, has since carried out studies and talks with local people about a possible release in Northumberland and nearby areas. Its consultation reported majority local support, but no release had been licensed at the time of writing.

Scotland. The Lynx to Scotland partnership, which includes the charities Trees for Life and SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, has run surveys and meetings with farmers, gamekeepers and communities in the Highlands. The Scottish Government has said it has no current plans to reintroduce lynx, and any project would need a licence from NatureScot.

The 2025 illegal release in the Cairngorms

In January 2025, two lynx were spotted near Kingussie in the Cairngorms National Park. They had been released illegally by unknown people. Two more lynx, thought to be from the same group, were found nearby. All four were caught within days by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the charity that runs the Highland Wildlife Park, and one of them later died in captivity.

The release was condemned by the police, the government and conservation groups, including those that campaign for lynx reintroduction. Captive-bred animals released without preparation are unlikely to survive, can suffer badly and may harm public trust in properly planned projects.

Arguments against bringing lynx back

Opposition comes mainly from sheep farmers and some gamekeepers. In Norway, lynx kill thousands of free-ranging sheep each year, and farmers in Britain fear similar losses, especially where sheep graze on open hills near woodland. Others worry about the effect on capercaillie and other rare ground-nesting birds, or doubt whether Britain’s forests are large and connected enough.

Supporters point to compensation schemes, guard dogs and fencing used in Europe, and to evidence that lynx usually prefer wild deer where they are common. Whatever happens, any future release would have to follow strict IUCN guidelines and win local backing. Britain has already brought back other lost species: see are there beavers in the UK? and the story of the bison in Kent.

Where can you see a lynx in the UK?

The only lynx in the UK are in zoos and wildlife parks. To see one in the wild, you would need to visit a country with an established population, such as Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Switzerland or the Carpathian countries. Even there, lynx are rarely seen.