TWO lynx illegally dumped to roam free in the Highlands were at the centre of a police mystery last night.
Dramatic pictures showed the wildcats prowling snowy woodlands after being “recklessly” abandoned at a lay-by near Kingussie, Inverness-shire.
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The public was warned not to approach the powerful hunters — driven to extinction in the UK — after the alarm was raised on Wednesday afternoon.
Wildlife experts joined cops in the search. The animals were later pinpointed on live cameras and captured in Drumguish using humane traps yesterday.
Willie Anderson, of Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, told how he came within 60 yards of the pair.
He revealed: “They had been illegally released because they were 100 yards from a pile of straw bedding containing dead chicks.
“The bedding was peppered with porcupine quills. They were only 100 yards from the road.”
The lynx were taken into quarantine at nearby Highland Wildlife Park and were set to be transported to Edinburgh Zoo for more checks.
Experts warned they would not have survived in the wild.
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David Field, of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “Their abandonment was reckless to the animals, the community and nature.
“It is very unlikely they would have survived in the wild. Thankfully they appear in good health.”
Adult lynx are similar in size to labradors and are not considered dangerous to humans.
They prey on mammals like deer, rabbits and mice.
Some conservation groups have been campaigning to have the big cats reintroduced to Scotland as part of re-wilding projects.
The species was once native to Britain but became extinct 500 to 1,000 years ago.
Appealing for information, Police Scotland said: “Inquiries are continuing.”
