Three lynx illegally released in the Cairngorms have been described as “doing well” after completing their 30-day quarantine at Edinburgh Zoo.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the charity which runs the zoo, trapped the cats in early January after they were spotted in the Drumguish area near Kingussie.
The surviving animals have temporarily been given the names A, B and C, which is how animals were named by the charity’s founder, Thomas Gillespie, when Edinburgh Zoo first opened in 1913.
RZSS chief executive David Field said: “Illegally releasing these cats into the wild was highly irresponsible and it is likely they would have died had they not been rescued.
“Thankfully, the lynx are healthy and recovering in our quarantine facilities at Edinburgh Zoo.
