Lynx on the loose in Devon

[Bubbles]

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.

If that's true, that's awful Brownie.

I've never heard of that before.

[floo]

Also when we lived in Cambridgeshire in the 80s, we discovered a dead coypu by our backdoor! We assumed one of our cats or the dog had killed it. As all the coypu's  in Cambridgeshire were supposed to have died out, we can only assume ours was the last!

[Brownie]

It definitely was true Rose.  It's fairly well known that big game hunting goes on here but obviously those who do it want to keep it quiet.
In the documentary, the vet's attitude upset me the most, smiling straight into the (hidden) camera whilst pocketing five hundred quid cash for giving the animals a quick examination. 

You've done well with wallabies (bless) and coypu, floo.  Make my foxes seem quite average , but when they first started to appear around here many years ago they were quite a novelty.  Not for everyone of course because they overturned small dustbins (we have a big one), and pulled apart rubbish sacks.  That's a common complaint.

Down the road in Chislehurst Woods we have - a colony of green parrots.  Some obviously escaped from an aviary and as there was safety in numbers, they survived and thrived.  I've never seen them there but I did see a couple that flew into our garden;  they didn't stay of course because of our cats, the only birds that linger are crows and the occasional wood pigeon.  The crows sit on the fence and caw loudly and aggressively at one of our cats, a mottled tortie, who is very small and cowers before shooting back through the flap.

[floo]

When we were unfortunate enough to be in Eastbourne (we disliked the place) for nine months in 2005, we would watch the foxes running around outside from our 4th  floor apartment, which as just off the prom.

[Brownie]

I was just reading about the coypu, floo.  They are sweet, look like something out of Wind in the Willows.  Apparently the last one seen in the UK was in Co Durham in 2012;  no doubt there are a few more, unseen, around rivers.

Their meat is lean and low in cholesterol if you are interested!

I wonder where your wallaby came from, maybe escaped from captivity.

[floo]

I was just reading about the coypu, floo.  They are sweet, look like something out of Wind in the Willows.  Apparently the last one seen in the UK was in Co Durham in 2012;  no doubt there are a few more, unseen, around rivers.

Their meat is lean and low in cholesterol if you are interested!

I wonder where your wallaby came from, maybe escaped from captivity.

There seemed to be quite a number around at that time, goodness knows why.

[floo]

When I came first came to live in the UK in 1969 when I married my English husband, foxes, squirrels and badgers were a novelty as my home island doesn't host them. Admittedly I have only seen a live badger once close up. I was in the woods next to a property in which we were living when we first moved to Wales in 1990. I had one of our dogs with me when we encountered the badger, which was preparing to take it on. I removed myself and the dog forthwith!

When my Baby Sister, who still lives on our home island, is visiting her elderly, senile old sister, she gets very excited if she sees a squirrel on our birdfeeder!  

[Brownie]

What wildlife live in the Channel Islands, floo?

[floo]

What wildlife live in the Channel Islands, floo?

Rabbits, rabbits and many more rabbits as well as the usual vermin. We don't have moles either.

[Harrowby Hall]

There are red squirrels in Jersey.

[floo]

There are red squirrels in Jersey.

Actually I believe you are right, I think I heard that island does have them. They must have been imported at some stage as they are not native to Channel Islands.

[Brownie]

You mention "no moles" in the Channel Islands, floo.  I've never seen one!  I would be scared to see those big hands coming out of the ground. 
Rabbits are lovely.

[floo]

I have seen quite a number of moles since we have lived in Wales, more often dead than alive, admittedly. I saw one the bridle path at the back of our house a few weeks ago.

[Bubbles]

My dad used to use those nasty mole traps, because they were considered a pest.

Ugh!

Moles have the loveliest black fur and a long nose.

They do wreck the lawn though.

Have even handled live ones.

[Brownie]

There's a report today in the Mail (I saw online) of a lynx being caught in a back garden, maybe a while back!

So everyone on Dartmoor put a nice big safe trap in your garden.
I would think there are plenty of places to hide on Dartmoor though.  Can't wait for the cubs to be born.

(Edited for grammah!)

[Bubbles]

Must be another one

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1417516/on-the-run-lynx-flaviu-is-outfoxing-devon-coppers-by-nicking-bait-from-traps-set-up-to-catch-him/

And sleuths trying to track down the Labrador-sized feline reckon it is outfoxing its pursuers by brazenly stealing the bait left out to snare it.

More than 30 staff and cops armed with tranquilliser guns and bloodhound sniffer dogs failed to flush him out — despite baiting 25 traps with rabbits, quail and deer.

..........


If that failed, there were fears the Carpathian Lynx — the size of a labrador and bred in captivity — could learn to hunt and vanish further into Dartmoor National Park.

Experts say once there, it would be almost impossible to find.

Mr Mee added: “He’ll be getting very hungry by now. We hope that by Saturday he will be caught in a trap. The other possibility is that he might kill a rabbit.

“That’s good in one sense as he needs food, but also bad as he’d be learning indep­endence and could go on the moor.”

He said there had been only one credible sighting since Flaviu escaped — by a zoo worker who saw him near the perimeter fence.

It's a bit like the wallaby I was saying about  running rings around the pursuers.

That Lynx might go home when it's had enough or may take up permanent residence on Dartmoor.

Perhaps they need to release a few more so it has company.

 

I don't know,  but it springs to mind the scene in hot fuzz where they are chasing after the escaped Swan 

Accents included 

Hilarious!

The army couldn't catch the beast of exmoor either 

http://www.everythingexmoor.org.uk/encyclopedia_detail.php?ENCid=125


Ps. I wasn't living that far away from exmoor in the 1970's so it could be I saw it ( as in a previous post)

[ekim]

I hear that the lynx has been setting traps using Devon cider as bait.  Three policemen have been caught and are helping the Dartmoor ponies with their enquiries.

[Bubbles]

Heading towards Kent?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3682690/Is-Devon-s-missing-lynx-prowling-Kent-Experts-believe-creature-s-homing-instinct-draw-wildlife-park-born.html

[Brownie]

Interesting Rose!  I live in SE London, on the borders of Kent (well, Bromley if you consider that to be Kent), who knows my cat may have a big companion in the garden before long?  I'd want to keep it.  Thinking about it, no I wouldn't, we have enough vet bills as it is.  It's quite exciting.  I feel sorry that it is on its own, no Lynx companions.  However, for all we know, Lynx may enjoy being solitary, a bit like pandas.

It's funny that the lynx appeared to have retrieved food from a trap without getting caught.  It's a clever old thing.

I doubt an animal like that would be able to 'home' that distance, though.

Today I asked my old man to buy me 'The Mail on Sunday' when he went out for the paper, because I wanted the Jamie Oliver supplement, so I will probably read some more.

-------

PS:  When I mentioned my involvement with caring for urban foxes a few years back, on this thread and on another thread, I wish to state that I was not 'bigging myself up' in any way, by saying, "I did this or that".  I merely mentioned it for information because at the time it was relevant to both threads.  I'm saying this because recently I have been castigated for 'blowing my own trumpet when, in reality, I have no idea about what life is like nowadays' and I'm sure it would apply to animals as well as humans..  Very embarrassing.

[jeremyp]

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.

Since that wasn't the question, I don't see why you think this post is relevant.

Compare the size of a fox to the size of a golden retriever.

[Brownie]

I just googled, "Missing lynx", and made myself laugh.  (You don't have to laugh.)

Anyway the 'little boy' is still missing and the zoo are going to try to lure him with recordings of his mother's voice and her bedding.

Here's a Guardian link, he looks gorgeous in the photograph.  I'd adopt him:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/11/keepers-missing-lynx-mum-trap

Not really relevant to this thread, in fact totally irrelevant as not concerning a missing wild animal; may be of interest to animal lovers, also to those of us who oppose the ownership of guns - and we've touched on marksmanship on this thread.  I saw on the news last night that a retired racehorse was shot in a field by a pistol.  Quite dreadful.  Not far from where I live, passed it on Saturday.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/14610623.Horse_found_dead_after_being_shot_in_Chislehurst_field/

[SteveH]

Any more lynx to this story?  It's a pity that this board won't allow hyperlynx.

[Gordon]

Any more lynx to this story?  It's a pity that this board won't allow hyperlynx.

  very witty.

[Brownie]

Are you saying there are missing lynx on this board Steve?

[Bubbles]

As of yesterday he's still free 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3694000/Escaped-lynx-prowl-Drones-night-vision-cameras-deployed-searchers-paw-prints.html