What are Lynx?

Lynx are medium-sized cats, with tufted ears, a short tail and back legs that are slightly longer than their front legs. There are four species of lynx around the world, and the Eurasian lynx is the largest, typically weighing 17-28 kg (about the size of a Border Collie). Males tend to be slightly larger than females.

V3… ‘Easy accordion’ plugin – works within the page editor. Simple and lightweight. No behaviour options but I can over-ride styling in CSS

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V7: ‘Helpie FAQ’ :: No options to set the icons or not to display the title – but I can hide that in CSS.. I can lose the indent and do styling in CSS.

Life and habits (expandable section?)

Eurasian lynx keep a low profile, resting in cover during the day to avoid people. Where wild prey is very abundant, lynx densities can reach up to five cats per 100 km², (an area roughly the size of the Isle of Rum), but lower densities are the norm, and lynx are always rarer than smaller carnivores like foxes.

Lynx are woodland creatures but don’t need huge areas of undisturbed forest. Switzerland’s largest lynx population is found in the north west Alps with a similar amount of forest to parts of Scotland.

Lynx are generally solitary animals. They mate in the spring and give birth to two or three kittens in mid-May or early June. The kittens spend their first two months in dens before accompanying their mother further afield.

Once independent, lynx may live up to 17 years, although few wild lynx live that long. Most adult lynx deaths in Europe are due to traffic accidents, disease or hunting by humans.

Diet (expandable section?)

The Eurasian lynx is an ambush hunter, typically eating around one deer per week. They can hunt red, fallow or sika deer but struggle to tackle healthy red deer stags and show a clear preference for roe deer.

A variety of other animals – including foxes, hares and woodland grouse – also make up a smaller proportion of the lynx’s diet.

When did Britain lose its lynx? (expandable section?)

The youngest lynx fossils found in Britain include a skull from Sutherland that’s been dated to the 3rd century AD, and bones from North Yorkshire which tell us lynx were present in England as late as the 5th or 6th century AD. But it’s possible that a few lynx clung on much longer, leaving only intriguing cultural clues, before their final disappearance went unmarked by history.

Among these clues, a 9th-century stone carving from the Isle of Eigg shows a large, tufted-eared cat – possibly a lynx – being chased on horseback. An account from Auchencairn in 1760 also mentions a yellow-red cat, three times the size of a domestic cat, that some suggest may have been a lynx.

Hunting, widespread deforestation and the decline of wild prey eventually led to the loss of the lynx from Britain. Lynx also disappeared from most of Europe except for a few strongholds in Scandinavia and the Carpathian mountains of central and eastern Europe.

Comeback cats (expandable section?)

Since the early 1970s, lynx have been returning to more and more of Europe, both naturally and with the help of planned reintroductions. Today, there are around 9,000 Eurasian lynx scattered across Europe and they are found in almost every large European country. But Britain’s island status means they will never return to Scotland unless we bring them back.

Why reintroduce lynx?

Lynx once lived in Scotland, but human activities drove them to extinction, so a growing number of people feel a duty to restore this missing species.

Scotland has become one of the most wildlife-depleted countries in the world, ranked 213th out of 240 countries for the state of its biodiversity. Reintroducing lynx would support our international commitments to restore nature, bring a range of ecological and economic benefits, and enrich our experience of wild nature closer to home. 

What are the ecological benefits? (expandable section?)

As top predators, lynx influence the behaviour and numbers of their prey, creating healthier, more dynamic ecosystems. Their return could help restore and revitalise many missing or frayed connections in Scotland’s tattered food webs.

Lynx/prey illustration

Could lynx help control deer? (expandable section?)

High deer numbers prevent woodlands from regenerating and can contribute to peatland degradation, stalling progress towards climate and biodiversity goals.

The National Lynx Discussion found that lynx could play a role in reducing negative deer impacts, but only by complementing – not replacing – human management.

How might lynx affect other wildlife? (expandable section?)

To help us understand how lynx might affect wildlife in Scotland, we can look at their impacts elsewhere.

In Scandinavia, lynx have reduced fox numbers, allowing a rise in capercaillie, mountain hare and black grouse populations, with similar effects possible in Scotland.

Lynx also increase the supply of large carcasses – currently scarce in Scotland – recycling key nutrients and providing an important year-round food source for many other species.

How would people and communities benefit? (expandable section?)

Lynx would make our landscapes feel wilder, attracting new visitors and boosting local economies. 

Although lynx are typically hard to see, this doesn’t seem to reduce their appeal – a bit like Nessie, who is estimated to generate over £41 million for Scotland annually. In the area around Germany’s Harz National Park, lynx attract between £7.5 and £12.5 million in tourist spending each year.

How do people feel about lynx? (expandable section?)

Recent surveys suggest a growing majority of the Scottish public want lynx to be reintroduced. The latest poll in 2025 found 61% of Scots in favour of a lynx reintroduction, including more than 50% of Scots in every region of Scotland. Just 13% were opposed, with the remainder undecided.

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Where people already live with lynx, support is even higher. Elsewhere in Europe, 72% of Norwegians and over 74% of Swiss respondents said they like living with lynx. As one German visitor to Harz said: ‘Knowing that these animals are there and may be watching me is a great feeling.’

Attitudes to lynx among people who report living close to lynx in Norway (Source: 2017 Gallup poll commissioned by the Norwegian Government)

Are there risks?

Overall, people find lynx to be one of the easiest large carnivores to live with and polls show they are well-liked by most people who live with them. However, any reintroduction naturally attracts questions and concerns, and it is important to note that the return of lynx would present some real challenges. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions and areas of concern about lynx.

Could lynx harm people or pets? (expandable section?)

Like foxes, a lynx could kill a domestic cat but, since lynx generally avoid settlements, the risk is very low. Lynx rarely attack dogs, and would usually only do so if they felt threatened. Lynx are not a threat to people.

What are the risks to lynx themselves? (expandable section?)

All animals would be health-checked before release and would be released into habitat with enough wild prey. The risks to lynx are therefore minimal.

Are there any threats to native species? (expandable section?)

Iconic Scottish species like wildcats and capercaillie are already at risk, but there’s no evidence that Eurasian lynx would accelerate their decline or hinder their recovery. In fact, lynx might help them – their kills could provide food for wildcats, and by preying on foxes, lynx have been linked to rising capercaillie and black grouse numbers in Scandinavia.

Scotland’s National Lynx Discussion concluded that there are enough deer across most of Scotland to prevent lynx from needing to hunt smaller prey, and that lynx could potentially benefit threatened species by helping to control fox numbers.

Is there a threat to non-native gamebirds or grouse shooting interests? (expandable section?)

Red-legged partridges or pheasants could be taken by lynx around release pens (where birds are housed before being released for shooting), but lynx would be less likely to cause problems than other native predators, since they would be much rarer. Lynx are also woodland creatures, and tend to avoid the open hill, so are unlikely to prey on significant numbers of red grouse. Any measures to secure gamebirds against predators like wildcats should also be effective against lynx.

Scotland’s National Lynx Discussion concluded that gamebirds are not a significant part of the lynx’s diet where deer are freely available, but that it would be important to monitor any conflicts and develop management options – including a clear exit strategy – in case it was needed.

How might lynx affect deer stalking? (expandable section?)

Lynx are specialist deer hunters, prompting some concerns about potential impacts on deer stalking traditions and businesses.

Scotland’s National Lynx Discussion concluded that lynx are likely to have minimal impact on traditional red deer stalking on the open hill. However, because lynx would be a protected species, some deer management within woodlands could face new restrictions, which would need to be carefully managed.

Lynx could also potentially reduce the number of trophy roebucks available in some areas, which may affect stalking income. Any such impacts would need careful monitoring.

Would lynx take livestock? (expandable section?)

Lynx do kill livestock – most often sheep – but the numbers killed vary greatly between countries.

In Norway, annual sheep losses attributed to lynx are exceptionally high compared to every other country in Europe. These losses mostly happen when sheep are left to graze in Norway’s forests during the summer months, roaming freely and entirely unprotected. However, when sheep are fenced into fields or grazed away from woodland, it’s relatively rare for lynx to attack them, even in Norway. 

Lynx also show a clear preference for hunting deer and where deer are abundant, sheep predation is less common. Scotland supports much higher deer densities than Norway, reducing the risk of attacks on sheep. Additional information on this topic can be found in the ‘Risks’ booklet, available for you to take away.

Lynx may also take unsecured chickens, but this is unusual. And lynx have been known to They may also prey on farmed deer, but this can be prevented by electric fencing. Lynx attacks on larger livestock are virtually unheard of.

Scotland’s National Lynx Discussion highlighted that, even if lynx only kill small numbers of sheep, the impact on individual farmers could be significant. Managing this would require a transparent and responsive approach, supported by financial support measures developed in collaboration with those affected.

What could a reintroduction look like?

Lynx reintroductions have been taking place across western Europe since the 1970s, creating a wealth of knowledge about how such reintroductions can best be managed. Scotland now has an opportunity to borrow from more than half a century’s experience, to develop a reintroduction plan that works best for nature and people in our own country. 

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