The deputy leader of Northumberland County Council has said the Tory-led administration at County Hall is opposed to the reintroduction of the lynx to the county. Councillor Richard Wearmouth was speaking after a successful scheme in Kent was branded a “major milestone” in the bid to reintroduce the cats to the countryside for the first time in centuries.
A state-of-the-art lynx enclosure was unveiled by the Wildwood Trust at its woodland discovery park in Herne near Canterbury. The space has been engineered to breed the predators for future reintroductions.
Pros
The Missing Lynx Project has been assessing whether Eurasian lynx could be reintroduced into parts of Northumberland, Cumbria and the Scottish Borders. Supporters say restoring the cat, which was native to the UK before going extinct in the Medieval Period, could help control the populations of large prey animals such as deer and lead to more balanced ecosystems.
Cons
However, Coun Wearmouth said doing so would put unnecessary strain on the county’s traditional hill farmers amid fears the cats could target livestock.
Coun Wearmouth said: “It would be a definite no from the council if we have got anything to do with it. I don’t know what role we would have in this.
“It’s a nice, romantic idea but ultimately people have to make their livelihoods. Hill farming is difficult enough with all the things they have to deal with, never mind introducing an apex predator.
“I have never found a farmer who is keen and you can understand why. It’s people’s livelihoods that are at stake and it’s so difficult already for farmers, particularly a hill farmer.”
The Missing Lynx Project
The Missing Lynx Project is overseen by the Lifescape Project, which started to investigate the possibility of reintroducing lynx in April 2021. North-west Northumberland and the border areas with Cumbria and Scotland are the only areas with the extensive forest habitats needed by the lynx to thrive.
The project says that of more than 1,000 people in the project who responded to a questionnaire, 72% were supportive of a lynx reintroduction. It is now working to address any concerns so that any future reintroduction is “successful for lynx, nature and people”.
The Missing Lynx Project was contacted for comment on Coun Wearmouth’s remarks.
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