{"id":255234,"date":"2025-11-10T17:12:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/255234\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T17:12:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:12:10","slug":"lynx-could-thrive-in-cumbria-if-plans-get-greenlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/255234\/","title":{"rendered":"Lynx could thrive in Cumbria if plans get greenlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n The Missing Lynx Project<\/a> is exploring whether the wild cat could make a comeback in the UK after a new enclosure was unveiled in Kent in October.\n<\/p>\n

\n Eurasian Lynx were a British predator in antiquity but the population died out in medieval times due to loss of woodland.\n<\/p>\n

\n Eurasian Lynxes Flossie and Torridon explore their new state-of-the-art lynx enclosure at the Wildwood Trust near Canterbury in Kent (Image: Gareth Fuller)\n<\/p>\n

\n The Missing Lynx Project, led by the Lifescape Project Partnership, is touring an exhibition about the once native species to start a conversation about its reduction.\n<\/p>\n

\n Research by ecologists involved in the project has revealed that “if lynx were to be released in Northumberland, they could grow into a healthy population covering north-west Northumberland<\/a>, the edge of Cumbria and the bordering areas of southern Scotland.”\n<\/p>\n

\n The study found that Kielder Forest would be a viable location for the release of 20 lynx<\/a> over several years.\n<\/p>\n

\n If ecologists can secure a license for the reintroduction of lynx in Northumberland, wildcats could roam into the Scottish borders and parts of Cumbria in the proceeding five years.\n<\/p>\n

\n Flossie, Eurasian Lynx explorin her new state-of-the-art lynx enclosure. (Image: Gareth Fuller)\n<\/p>\n

\n A map supplied by the Missing Lynx Project appears to show that the habitat of potentially reintroduced lynx would extend into the outskirts of Carlisle.\n<\/p>\n

\n Cumbria, Scotland and Northumberland are the only regions with enough woodland to accommodate a lynx population.\n<\/p>\n

\n A habitat map showing where the Eurasian lynx could roam. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n

\n Doctor Deborah Brady, lead ecologist at The Lifescape Project said: “We\u2019ve done an in-depth consultation and it shows local people broadly accept the idea – and we also know that lynx could thrive in the area.”\n<\/p>\n

\n A year-long consultation, which included a visit to the University of Cumbria Campus in Carlisle, found that 72 per cent of people in the project area would support the potential reintroduction of the lynx.\n<\/p>\n

\n Dr Brady said: “We’ll continue to discuss it with local people to consider how a reintroduction project could work to maximise benefits and reduce risks. We hope to apply for a licence but only once we have a plan that\u2019s designed together with local people which sets out measures that are feasible and can actually work.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Eurasian Lynx are described as a medium-sized cat which eat deer and some carnivores such as foxes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Missing Lynx Project is exploring whether the wild cat could make a comeback in the UK after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255235,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":{"0":"post-255234","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-uk","10":"tag-united-kingdom","11":"tag-unitedkingdom","12":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255234\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}