Lynx on the loose in Devon

[Bubbles]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-36734796


Apparently the zoo have only just taken delivery of it and it dug it's way out.

The police are saying its the size of a large domestic housecat, but what sort of housecats do the police have in Devon?

A male Lynx can be 28ins at the shoulder which is more like a golden retriever.

They have very large house cats in Devon 

I think the police only said that to stop people panicking

No one bothers to keep children in because of something the size of a house cat.

[Brownie]

I'm glad it has been caught, Rose.  All's well that ends well.  Also pleased to read that it came from a zoo, not that I'm exactly mad about zoos but nowadays they tend to be conservationist and the animals are well looked after.  Anyway, no-one was hurt.  I don't know much about the lynx but imagine it would be wary of people and unless someone actually cornered it, it wouldn't do any harm.  It would probably scavenge for food or attack smaller wild animals in forest and woodland areas.  Unlike, for example, a lion which would hunt a human being for food.  Still I wouldn't want to meet a lynx on my way back from the shops  .

[ad_orientem]

We have wild Lynx here in Finland. They're quite secretive creatures.

[Brownie]

I didn't know that finn.  We might have wild lynx here if enough escape, who knows?  Imagine the "urban lynx", comes out at night, attacks pet rabbits and guinea pigs (if they can break into the cage) and upturns dustbins.  My imagination runs away with me....

[Bubbles]

I didn't know that finn.  We might have wild lynx here if enough escape, who knows?  Imagine the "urban lynx", comes out at night, attacks pet rabbits and guinea pigs (if they can break into the cage) and upturns dustbins.  My imagination runs away with me....

Has it been found now? A few hours ago they were looking for it with helicopters.

Nothing more on the BBC website, can't see any reports on the Internet.

You sure it's been caught?

🌹

[Bramble]

The Eurasian lynx is an original native of this country. It became extinct here about 1300 years ago and has been lost from much of Western Europe as a result of persecution and habitat destruction. It is an exceptionally elusive and secretive forest animal and a specialist deer predator. It is no threat to humans and only very rarely takes livestock. Many conservationists want to reintroduce it to the UK because it occupies an important ecological niche and would help to control the rampant roe deer population that is currently damaging a lot of woodlands.

[Brownie]

Has it been found now? A few hours ago they were looking for it with helicopters.

Nothing more on the BBC website, can't see any reports on the Internet.

You sure it's been caught?

🌹

Rose, I thought I saw something about it being caught, could be wrong.  I'll check.

Bramble, thanks for that information. It would be interesting if the lynx was re-introduced, especially as they don't appear to be dangerous.  I don't think I'd say the same about bears.

[Bramble]

I'd love to see the lynx reintroduced but we seem to be zoophobic in this country and frightened of anything bigger than a squirrel. Just look at how foxes are demonised - child maulers, brake cable assassins, etc. Very sad.

[Harrowby Hall]

That will be another wild animal that Bashful Anthony will invite to his back door for free meals.

[Harrowby Hall]

I'd love to see the lynx reintroduced but we seem to be zoophobic in this country and frightened of anything bigger than a squirrel.

Perhaps lynx could play a significant role in the elimination of that destructive American import. I presume by squirrel you mean the grey variety. Perhaps they could also help control mink as well.

Did I not see some suggestion a few months ago that wolves could also be reintroduced?

[Brownie]

I like squirrels (so do my cats  )!  I love watching them through the French doors running along the top of the shed and up the oak tree.  Nothing wrong with squirrels.

Wild boar have been reintroduced, in Scotland I think.  Very tasty.

Foxes run through my garden frequently.  I used to feed them regulary, as did my neighbour.  They didn't bother the cats who seemed to be at peace with them.  Some were mangy and I got some stuff from a local fox trust to treat them, with some success.
However there were cases locally of foxes becoming so used to people that they'd nibble a small child, even got into the house and chewed on someone's ear while they were in bed.  It wasn't just one case, there were several and it's true they became quite tame.  I had a couple who came into the kitchen when I had the back door open, they were eating the cats' food, but they ran away when I appeared.  So I decided to stop feeding them.  We have lots of woods nearby where they can hunt small wildlife, indeed I often saw them chasing things, so they only wander, or run, through my garden now.  I was worried about the mangy ones but haven't seen any like that for ages. 

They're certainly no worse off for me not feeding them.  My neighbour stopped too, not only for the same reason as me but one died at the bottom of his garden where there is dense foliage and shrubbery, lay there rotting away, so his wife put her foot down (neighbour's wife, not fox's).  Foxes tried to dig up one of our deceased cats, after that we made sure there was a lot of weight on the grave and next time chose cremation.

It used to be nice seeing the fox cubs, so little and playful, but there's no point in being sentimental.  They are interesting animals and have their place.

[jeremyp]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-36734796


Apparently the zoo have only just taken delivery of it and it dug it's way out.

The police are saying its the size of a large domestic housecat, but what sort of housecats do the police have in Devon?

A male Lynx can be 28ins at the shoulder which is more like a golden retriever.

Just because a male lynx can be 28 inches at the shoulder doesn't mean they all are. Presumably, the zoo staff knew how big it was and they wouldn't lie about it.

I think the police only said that to stop people panicking

No one bothers to keep children in because of something the size of a house cat.

Which is why, if anything, I would exaggerate the size. Why would the police pretend it is smaller than it really is?

[Jack Knave]

Cool for cats 

[Harrowby Hall]

I like squirrels (so do my cats  )!  I love watching them through the French doors running along the top of the shed and up the oak tree.  Nothing wrong with squirrels.

Wouldn't you rather see native red squirrels than the alien import?

Wild boar have been reintroduced, in Scotland I think.  Very tasty.

Wild boar were brought into the Forest of Dean to be farmed but some escaped and there is now an established feral colony.

Foxes run through my garden frequently.  I used to feed them regulary, as did my neighbour.  They didn't bother the cats who seemed to be at peace with them.  Some were mangy and I got some stuff from a local fox trust to treat them, with some success.

A local animal hospital told me that feeding foxes in urban areas has had severe effects on fox health. They become relatively overcrowded that mange is endemic and is often fatal to cubs. The hospital did its best to discourage feeding urban foxes.

I once had a cat with whom no dog was safe. I once saw an adult fox scuttling away from her in terror. She was quite small, too,

[Bubbles]

We once had a wallaby escape from somewhere near us.
It was hilarious.

Someone would spot it hopping through their garden and call up the police etc but by the time anyone got there, it had gone.

They never managed to capture it and people saw it for a couple of years hopping around.

I think one if our winters must have got it in the end.

It came from an animal sanctuary and aquarium and they had a sign on its cage telling of the escape and that it was the beast of exmoor.

If people can't catch a wallaby I wonder how hard it will be to capture a Lynx.

We do have far to many deer in this country.

I saw a about 6 grazing right next to a dual carriageway by the road, last week.

Not so funny if you ended up hitting one at 60 or 70mph.

We could do with some Lynxes up our way.

[jeremyp]

I once had a cat with whom no dog was safe. I once saw an adult fox scuttling away from her in terror. She was quite small, too,

Apparently, a cat-fox fight would normally be advantage cat. Cats are smaller but they are more weaponised (they don't just use their teeth).

[Bubbles]

Now they seem to be saying it's the size of a small Labrador rather than a large house cat, which sounds about right.

I bought a mail this morning ( well I'm away on holiday) and it's hilarious.

On one hand you have the police and zoo suggesting children are kept in etc etc because it could be dangerous if cornered and worrying about children and on the other the mail is reporting there are plans afoot to reintroduce the Lynx to the UK to solve our deer problem.

We can't keep all the children in indefinitely then, can we?

 

The fuss the police are making over one Lynx is out of proportion to the idea of reintroducing them in the UK.

[Bubbles]

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/lynx-other-native-big-cats-be-reintroduced-britains-forests-2016-1535761

I'm more worried about reintroducing bears.

If they want to reintroduce the Lynx, they are going to have to stop panicking and shutting all the children in because one has escaped.

I doubt if it will go near anyone yet, and is probably more dangerous to the Dartmoor sheep.

I expect that will be its first kill.

I've also read they are so shy it could hide away for years, although the zoo seems to think it hasn't learnt to hide.

[Bubbles]

Apparently, a cat-fox fight would normally be advantage cat. Cats are smaller but they are more weaponised (they don't just use their teeth).

We had a golden retriever and he cornered a cat in our garden once, he was so quick to fast for me to intervene,  he picked it up and shook it.

By the time I rescued it and put it in a box, it was in shock, and it died at the vets.


 

I wouldn't rate a cats ability to fight off a dog very highly.

Not after that 

[Brownie]

So I was wrong and the poor thing hasn't been caught yet?  Bless it's heart.  Wonder if it's a pregnant female, there's a thought.

Harrowby, I like squirrels red or grey, we have both.  We also have grey squirrels that have red on their backs. Very pretty.

Sounds as though I was right to stop feeding the foxes for all sorts of reasons!  As I said, they certainly don't seem any worse for me not feeding them and I haven't seen a mangy one for ages, however I see less foxes now they aren't expecting food.

Rose, I didn't know we had a deer problem.  Dear dear!  I haven't seen any urban deer yet, there is still time.  I don't like venison.  Could a fox kill a deer?  I don't know, maybe a little one I suppose.
I too am worried about bears, scared of them.

Jeremy, foxes and cats are quite alike and don't usually fight.   Some years ago, a neighbouring dog leaped over two fences to chase a fox through a couple of gardens - and caught it.  It was a bloody affair.

[floo]

Some years ago, at our previous property, I swear I saw what looked like a black panther disappearing over the garden wall into the deep undergrowth the other side. I dismissed it as just another of the really weird things we experienced at that home. However, when I heard a while later that a big cat had been spied in a village not far from us, I did wonder, if I had seen it too. 

[Bubbles]

Some years ago, at our previous property, I swear I saw what looked like a black panther disappearing over the garden into the deep undergrowth the other side. I dismissed it as just another of the really weird things we experienced at that home. However, when I heard a while later that a big cat had been spied in a village not far from us, I did wonder, if I had seen it too.

You might well have.

When I was a youngster I saw a large black cat (panther size) in our garden, my parents didn't want me to report it, and dismissed it as my imagination.

A week later someone reported a black panther jumped onto the bonnet of their car and then took off.  The police just treated it as a joke. (in the same village as me)
I heard the report on T V at the time and pointed it out to my parents, but they chose to ignore it.

The last strange thing was people kept finding very large cat footprints ( bigger than a mans hand) around their chicken runs and for about 15miles in direction we heard accounts.

I'm convinced to this day it wasn't just my imagination.

I think they changed the law ( about that time) so people couldn't keep them without a license and they were set loose.

More recently my hubby thought he saw one, on one of his long walks in Wales and his friends ( walking companions) were sceptical at first, but they are not so much anymore, one of them owning an old cottage without services in one of the wilder places in Wales and they have both seen something which makes them think there may be more to it.

There are supposed to be colonies of wallabies and even a group of baboons somewhere.

It's surprising what there is wandering around the British countryside.

[floo]

A wallaby ran past our house when we were living in a town in Cambridgeshire, there where a number in the area I believe.

[Brownie]

There are reports of big cats on the loose in Britain occasionally, panthers and the like.

Some people with private land import them illegally and have big game hunting parties.  An animal escapes occasionally.

I saw a programme on TV about this once, the poor animals, usually young, arrived in an airplane to a private landing field.  They were checked over by a vet who said, "A nice little earner".  She didn't know she was being filmed, that was her career up the spout I hope.  It was all quite horrible.  Truth is stranger than fiction and nastier.

[Bubbles]

A wallaby ran past our house when we were living in a town in Cambridgeshire, there where a number in the area I believe.

Yes.

Apparently there are a number around

http://www.introduced-species.co.uk/Species/mammals/red%20necked%20wallaby.htm

Peak district and Mid Sussex and many other UK areas.