Reintroducing Lynx To Scotland

[@JakobFischer60]

We have lynxs in Germany for some years now. The areas where they live are much smaller than Scotland and meeting one is a very rare event. Normally we only have some pictures from cameras in the forests. I have not heard that people have ever met some or even had some problems with them.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Good to hear a real life example of how secretive and non-intrusive these are for people!

[@shannonalaminski2619]

Cousin story: I knew there were Bobcats in the forest I spend time in near my place. Hadn't seen one. I took my wife for a walk in the forest one day. She's scared of stuff. You hear the rapid hammering of small feet in the leaves behind you, you turn and see a rabbit running like he's running for his life. And behind him is a Bobcat running through the trees hot on his tail. We just watched them tear through until we lost them in the trees. They ran right by us. It was magical. It was awesome. And it all happened so fast she never got a chance to be scared. She loved seeing something that so few ever get to see. And before she was one of those people who could have listed off those excuses and more probably why we don't need Bobcats or their cousins lynx.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

That’s a great story! Thanks for taking the time to tell. It is magic when you have these unexpected wildlife encounters, it gives you a memory you’ll never forget.

[@JoesWebPresence]

Managing a population of 300 to 500 lynx in Scotland would be straightforward and hugely beneficial, IF the farmers affected were adequately compensated. Give them fair rates for the livestock they lose, and make the first incident like winning a prize for them! Offer them livestock guardian dogs and trail cameras. Tag the offender and track their behaviour. Get the farmers involved! The real opposition will be from shooting estates. Never mind the obvious conflict over deer, they'll take pheasant and grouse, which are essentially farmed as a mono-cultures on an industrial scale here. There needs to be a real plan for Scotland's natural heritage, with a joined up approach to achieving clearly defined goals like forest regeneration and soil erosion mitigation. Beavers and lynx could be at the core of these efforts but it will all be meaningless and for nothing unless the gamekeepers are forced to stop killing everything that might look at a grouse or pheasant on the barren, fire scarred, soil eroded wastelands they claim to manage, and the foresters are forced to stop planting vast mono-cultures of cica spruce, Corsican pine and othernon native, low value trees for wood pulp. That means opposing billionaire corporate interests and landed establishment aristocrats. If we change the working practices of commercial forestry and shooting estates, then we change Scotland's environment; or we are just tinkering at the edges and nothing will really have changed.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

I agree with most of your comment Joe but I'm not sure I can get on board with "awarding prize money" to farmers for losing livestock. Given that lynx are only going to be able to tackle sheep, sheep farming is already a heavily subsided industry. It is mostly unprofitable without subsidies. While I'm not entirely against compensation, I think we should be stripping subsidies for sheep farming and instead offering subsidies for providing ecological services instead.

[@JoesWebPresence]

Sounds fair @@THE_ECONNORGIST I'm all for removing subsidies from unprofitable endeavours, but I'd start with the forestry industry in that case, then move on to shooting estates. Subsidising farmers is way more complicated, and effectively subsidises those communities. Contrary to popular belief, much of the grazing is done in fields, not on open moorland or wild areas. Upland grazing is land that couldn't support other crops, but that sinks carbon reliably, and is being used effectively. The fact that global prices for lamband wool have collapsed is not due to anything these farmers have done, and just like the Dutch farmers, we'd be destroying the best practice farmers while ignoring the worst industrial practices of other parts of the world, so there are ecological and economic factors you are not even considering here. An ill informed blanket decision like that one could have devastating consequences for thousands of farmers and the communities that currently depend on them for their wages, so we need to tread carefully. WAY more carefully than casually dismissing the legitimate concerns of the main group affected! As far as the Lynx is concerned, why are you straining at this gnat? You don't agree with what I say, as that was effectively the whole point of my comment. Compensate (not subsidise) the farmers for their losses or face big problems. How many lambs do you expect the lynx to take? Surely this is a tiny price to pay in comparison to the billions in tax exemptions claimed each year by those investing in intensive forestry.plantations, or the massive grants given to shooting estates for all kinds of questionable schemes. Even if every single lynx killed a lamb, it would still be peanuts, to buy the support and co-operation of the main group of potential opposition to their re-introduction. I can only surmise that you've said this for ideological reasons, and would like these farmers to be made to suffer hardship, and witness the soul destroying damage to their livestock . . . because you are a vegan??? I don't know. You are certainly not a diplomat or a pragmatist. You certainly haven't thought it through, consulted people who would lose lambs, or done any cost-benefit analysis. Maybe you figure that when the socialist utopia arrives, you'll have stazi with guns to enforce your benevolent wisdom upon highland farmers against their will. They DESERVE it after all! I just thought you were serious about achieving practical solutions and getting this done. Had I known you wanted the farmers this will hurt to REALLY feel it, for the sake of virtue signalling your opposition to their traditional way of life . . . which we are all still depend upon, and you have no alternative to propose, then I wouldn't have bothered commenting. I'd have a long hard think about it all before responding to this comment. There are facts on the ground which you seem unwilling to acknowledge. People's lives that you seem willing to ruin. I can't think of any more effective way to rapidly lose local support than to tell the hill farmers what you just said.

[@George-gg1ny]

​@@JoesWebPresence I agree 💯 with everything you have said, are you aware there is no money to be made in timber as it's at a low for requirements due to USA having all the big contracts for building and bio chips ( think neighbour too Canada 3rd largest country with huge swaves of forest ) See the video Abby Barnes walking afric to kintail , where she chats to Scottish land forestry before reaching cannich, they are thinning a little area , they tell her no demand for timber as USA. Has taken all the contracts , they only make pallets in UK with there timber so your correct , they forestry land can return scenic and dramatic areas back , by removing non native and allowing native forests to come back like there doing in glen Garry. Some one suggested they also if need be grow timber on the west coast large barren islands which could make up loss and help allow Scotlands depleted landscape recover. I believe more and more land owners are onboard too , according to trees for life , they are overwhelmed with these estates willing to rewild back to native woodland. Wild affric is proof , 2000 square KM being planted up with native scot pine forests. But stil the majority hunting estates are against which I see as the biggest danger to our health , the land is so degraded it's splitting apart everywhere known as peat hags and land slides too revealing a sandy desert, our land is close to becoming uninhabitable for humans and wildlife in huge chunks as one famous author said... Scotland is a barren, empty wet desert! This will continue as long as selfish greedy million airs that kills everything that lives are allowed to continue there destruction and all they will do is move on to destroy the nations wildlife and ecosystems just like Scotland... Deforestation, burning of the land , breeding excessive deer numbers 😢 it's looking bleak!

[@JoesWebPresence]

Thank you @@George-gg1ny Things are bleak, but I'm sure things can turn around quickly, allowing our ecology to recover, if common sense can prevail. Right now they only want to tread on the farmer's toes, and they leave the forestry corporations and shooting estates alone, but those businesses and their environmentally disasterous practices ARE the problem! Let's see them demand their own golf courses and shooting estates plant 10% trees on them before the farmers do. Let's see them make their own yachting marina cut its fleet by 20% before the fishermen do. Let's see them prosecute Plymouth council for cutting down all the trees to save mone, . or EVERY council for approving all those new out of town shopping areas. Let's see Starbucks and KFC forced to set aside, then re-wild 10% of their parking areas. Let's see them banned from using private jets before they ban farmers from using fertiliser! The arrogance and hypocrisy is staggering to me. The views people who live here, with much better informed perspectives are not being represented in these decisions. Cairngorms national park authority is a case in point. An expensive, clueless bunch of virtue signallers dictating to the locals and trying to make it look like consultation. They've decided to ban recreational fires. They tell us what they are going to do, then consult us on the three ways they are thinking of doing it. Scots law already covers this in the land reform act 2003, but they are mostly middle class, middle aged middle Englanders, so they've decided to complicate matters. Not ask us whether to do it, then ask us how we'd like it done to us! They are the most expensive counter-productive inconvenience in this entire region. They are on a well paid junket. Pigs at the public trough. I wonder how many of THOSE can this community sustain? They recently posted a vacancy for a transport sustainability officer (£45k+) even though the local council already has three! Were we to get rid of just ONE of those parasites, and subsidise a local bus firm to the tune of £45k a year with their salary, then they could actually provide a whole bus route where none exists! As far as I'm concerned, many of these NGO's and charities are a BIG part of the problem, no matter how well meaning they may be.

[@stonemarten1400]

If we can increase the area of Caledonian Pine Forest in the Highlands, the Cairngorms for example, then release the Lynx in say 5 to 10 years time. Yes, there would need to be protection measures introduced for sheep and a compensation scheme for any predated livestock. I went looking for Lynx in the Harz Mountains of Germany, but of course never saw one, as they are incredibly elusive creatures. Really hope to see the return of these beautiful, once native, wild cats.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Instead of 5-10 years time, why not now? The habitat is there, ecologically Scotland is absolutely ready for a population of lynx. If we are to reverse rapidly decreasing biodiversity loss in my opinion, this is something we should be doing ASAP. Nature doesn’t have 10 years to be saved.

[@Sam613306]

Probably only likely to see evidence of them is by seeing their tracks in the snow.

[@EuanStewart-sw8hx]

Scotland needs these predators to be brought back. Red deer are taking away habitats from species only found in the Caledonian forest which barely exists anymore we need the return of lynxes and maybe wolves

[@Sophsfghds]

Excellent idea. Hardest problem is to change people’s thinking. Only by proving facts will more punters be on your side.👍

[@SharpyMC001]

THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN!!

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Yes mate!

[@thomasross4921]

I was unable to get the sound up to an audible level. This stands in contrast to your other two videos which I heard just fine. I'm going to be your 608th sub on the strength of your forgotten forests: what are we missing video alone, but I'm going to need more if I'm going to stick with you.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Thanks for subscribing, appreciate that! Unfortunately the sound had to be reduced for this one due to poor audio quality. If you use headphones and crank the volume up full it might help. I’m still new to the KZbin game so there will inevitably be some bumps along the way! Cheers.

[@versi1098]

Yay you're back!

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

I am back! A bit longer to get that uploaded than I would have liked but glad it's finally up. Thanks for sticking with me 😅

[@RussTillling]

Great production thank you. Needless to save I love lynx and would love to know they are back in the UK! (From Dorset)

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Cheers Russ appreciate it!

[@rauriskid9823]

Thanks for your video. I’m fascinated by the idea of rewilding Scotland. I like to think I’m open to both sides of the debate but really don’t know much about it. What you say seems to make sense. I understand that beaver have already been introduced and think that’s great. My feeling is that bringing back the wolf might be a step too far. What do you think?

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Thanks for your comment and glad you enjoyed the vid. I don’t think bringing back wolves is a step to far, if anything it would be a big step in the right direction! Wolves were likely here as late as the 1700s - in the grand scale of time their absence from this country hasn’t been long. I have no doubt that the ecological impact they would have on Scotland would be just as profound as it was when they were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. They are a huge missing piece of Scotland’s ecology. They would certainly pose challenges, particularly to livestock, but much like the Lynx these are not challenges that we cannot overcome.

[@prisntinzorrows6970]

They're already here.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Yet still no concrete evidence despite the access we all have to excellent camera technology!

[@pr7049]

Problemless shy predator in Scandinavia when you do not practise forest grazing of sheep (Norway).😌👍

[@teletabislabai8231]

Do you have a patreon i would gladly support your work

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

That is very kind of you, thank you! I don't currently have a patreon but it's something I will look into.

[@RussTillling]

I’d prefer to give a little with a YT Thanks fyi.

[@Greentrees60]

As a Canadian I generally find the fears of these animals bizarre - we have wolves and coyotes and lynx and (technically) cougars where I live, and none of those predators are dangerous to humans. The actually scary animals are Moose (car accidents with Moose are fatal and their eyes don't glow in the dark), and black and brown bears. The bears especially actually hunt humans in VERY rare circumstances, and ofc are able to easily kill humans without defences. But there are ways to live with them - obviously keep garbage carefully managed, bring bearspray when in their habitats especially in the fall, and go out in groups. In a park near where I live there are actually dogs which are specially trained to travel with hikers and defend them from bears (note: most dogs increase risk of bear conflict). Though I admit that is scary in a different way because they are curious about cars and run freely across the roads and I am PETRIFIED I will hit one while I am driving. Anyway, that is a long way of saying people should not be scared of lynx or small predators - they fear humans and are not at all dangerous. Humanity is an ingenious species that can easily figure out how to coexist with even animals which actually are dangerous.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Hi there - thank you for this superb response, I couldn’t agree more. The people of the UK are generally very out of touch with nature, to the point where they cannot tolerate simple animals - we’ve gone so long without the top predators that the very normal concept of brining them back blows a lot of peoples minds. It’s a sad state of affairs but I feel the tide is (slowly) turning.

[@football38545]

Liked and subscribed 💪

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Brilliant 🤝 cheers Greg!

[@Bob_Adkins]

Cities are the best friend of scarce animals. In the USA, once-scarce animals such as bobcat puma, fox, bear, deer, beaver, elk, moose, bison, dove, turkey, falcons, etc etc are thriving and will never again be critically endangered.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

@@Bob_Adkins I’m not sure I’d describe cities as the “best friends” of scarce animals however if animals are able to adapt to human surroundings then that’s great. There will be many species however that will not survive this, normally the ones that are under appreciated ie plants, insects, fungi etc.

[@michaelfleming9757]

Just start off with a couple of pairs and monitor them with care. They have them all over Europe and America. ❤

[@eartheclipse9623]

100% agree - they are all nuances, probably the ones who'll need the most education are those that wild camp in woodland, with dogs in particular, more because if the dog gives chase the Lynx will likely fight back (depends on the demeanour of both). I'm thinking of myself here because my dog would pick up a scent trail and likely chase so he's tethered to a tree or post, even at night when he's in the tent. - he's a wanderer, although a noisy dog chases everything away so I doubt they'd approach, it would be him following them. He won't be doing much camping now due to Lyme disease - another reason to lower deer numbers as it's rising. I intended for him to be a scent dog for conservation as I'm studying environmental science :( However, even at that, it would be a 0.00000001% chance since I've never heard a single tale from any of my Canadian relatives (or elsewhere) of lynx attacking people, other predators, yes, but not Lynx.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Have the ticks put you off training your dog? A colleague of mine is currently training her dog for scenting out protected species.

[@eartheclipse9623]

@@THE_ECONNORGIST yes, he caught Lyme's disease at 5 months he was treated at the time but recent x-rays & blood showed he still has Lyme's in his system & his hip joints are have been destroyed by it.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

@@eartheclipse9623 sorry to hear that 😞 hopefully your dog can make a full recovery

[@eartheclipse9623]

@@THE_ECONNORGIST Lyme's disease doesn't really work like that, it persistent & causes long term damage in joints - he won't be workable (unless he's a miracle dog), however, I hope we can give him a good quality of life for the time he has. Defo tell your friend to watch out for ticks in her dog, give preventives, some vets have a vaccine & to get blood test done if she finds an engorged one, dogs (& people) can be asymptomatic (as Anubis has since initial treatment) or develop symptoms (unexplained lameness, bladder issues/straining), lethargic & stiffness) - those are emergency symptoms & need vets asap. I'm hoping to be able to still use or experience to educate people on Lyme's disease in dogs as ticks are becoming more common & although a small percentage of ticks carry Lyme's disease, infections will/are increase with climate change & staycations etc. (Another reason for lynx reintroduction)

[@lesreid2704]

According to your map, my home is good lynx habitat. Do I want lynx? NO!! Because I would be concerned for my animals, especially my small pet dogs who walk in the woods and my hens who forage in the woods. Is my lifestyle choices and that of other country dwellers and land owners a good enough reason not to re-introduce lynx? Probably not! Like everything, knowledge and critical thinking is important. Thank you for including links to both research papers and Roy Dennis book. This is something I would like to be more informed about.

[@FatHedgie]

The health of national forests is more important than your livestock. Keep your pets inside and build a fence for your chickens.

[@lesleyreid]

@@FatHedgie hold your horses before being the keyboard warrior. I own one of the oldest woodlands in the country and I am very mindful of the environment.. READ my reply. It clearly states that although lynx would not be my preference for personal reasons, I understand the greater picture....and I also understand the need to be informed...

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Hi Les, glad to hear that despite your preference you understand the greater need for these animals. Changing behaviour will be required from people if Lynx are ever brought back, that might mean putting small dogs on leads or kept under closer supervision. Chickens can be kept in coops, I’m sure you already have to deal with foxes? Happy to help you get more informed on the issue, feel free to drop me an email via my website: connormckinnie.com/contact

[@lesleyreid]

Thank you, I'm very interested in your work.. Regarding the poultry, I've only once seen a fox or evidence of a fox. But I have a very large tribe of badgers and plenty of other predators, polecats etc. I use poultry nets connected to an energiser and battery to keep the badgers at bay at nights. And make sure the chickens are in the hen house 1 hour before dusk. Like everything, informed debate is the key to change..... getting landowners on board and potentially compensating farmers for any losses of lambs. The increase in birds of prey is an example of change over a relatively short period of time. Change is possible..

[@eartheclipse9623]

@@lesleyreid Hi Lesley, Lynx tend to be dusk/dawn hunters so your chickens being inside at night is a good thing, and you'd be unlikely to be affected. I imagine typically your dogs are also near to you so they'd be unlikely targets too as lynxes don't like people. many guardian dogs protect flocks from predators worldwide, and they do a great job (even from stray/off-leash dogs - which are a bigger concern for farmers imo). Now if it was a mountain lion/cougar we were talking about, those are a whole different ball game, and I think that's where the confusion comes from. they are 2 very different cats with very different behaviours.

[@andrewglover9874]

Increase the volume! Its kinda quiet...

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Hi Andrew, thanks for the feedback - yeah unfortunately the audio sounded really poor and i didn't realise until I had shot all the footage! I had to trade off between volume and static levels. I've been looking at ways to improve the audio so should sound better next time.

[@qaswedfr1234]

I think the main reason there is no lynx in Scotland is that unlike the other countries you mentioned Scotland is isolated. In other countries lynx just wanders and stumbles into an area.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Yes exactly. Animal are free to roam across Europe and enter new counties - unless lynx and wolves learn how to build boats or aircraft then they’ll never get here without human intervention. It’s fair to say that if we were still connected to continental Europe like we were before Doggerland disappeared then these animals would have found their way back here by now.

[@stonemarten1400]

Actually they have been actively reintroduced into places like the Harz Mountains of Germany, but you’re right that they can then spread-out into adjacent forested areas.

[@warrenhurley4148]

The only qualm I have with this idea is that the Scottish wildcat is on the brink of extinction and if lynx kills even one or two of them, that could be the final death knell. However, I'm not a biologist so I really don't know if this is a possibility.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Hi mate, the wildcat was recently considered by conservationists to be “functionally extinct in the wild.” Lynx and wildcat happily coexist on mainland Europe, no reason why they wouldn’t here. As I suggest in the video, Lynx would likely benefit wildcat by providing carrion. Wildcat currently face far greater threats to their survival such as hybridisation and illegal trapping.

[@SuperflySamurai88]

​@@THE_ECONNORGIST forget the Lynx! Save the Scottish Wildcat! Support the conservastionsts trying to save the highland tiger!

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

@@SuperflySamurai88 why not do both simultaneously?

[@SuperflySamurai88]

@@THE_ECONNORGIST Because the Lynx isn't "functionally extinct in the wild".

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

@@SuperflySamurai88 the reason for lynx reintroduction is not because lynx are at risk of extinction, but it is to restore a lost species to Scotland that is a key and currently missing part of the ecosystem. As I’ve explained, lynx would likely benefit wildcat - so would you not agree that reintroduction would be a win win for both species?

[@howardlee8885]

Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like lynxs got into extinctions around 1300 years ago? If yes, humans might not be the cause of its extinctions. So, I have to wonder if reintroduction can be applied in this case.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Hi Howard, it is thought that the likeliest reason lynx became extinct in Britain is due to a combination of hunting and habitat loss.

[@dorsetbigcats6292]

Lynx are roe deer specialists, they are not capable of tackling the more problematic red and sika deer, which is one of the principal reasons given to formally reintroduce lynx. I say formally because the one I have seen and other reports, suggest there are a small number of lynx already present.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

I don’t believe Lynx or indeed any big cat are living wild in the UK. With the amount of video technology we have now we would have recorded them on camera by now giving conclusive evidence. As for the deer, yes they are roe deer specialists however they would likely take red deer / sika calfs and perhaps sick animals. Nevertheless their presence in woodland habitats would be enough to frighten deer away, hence allowing for natural regen of woodland.

[@dorsetbigcats6292]

@@THE_ECONNORGIST It is not a question of belief and is easy to dismiss until you have seen one or two. The trail camera issue is frustrating, although there are a few clips and images of interest I have seen, none could be said to be conclusive. The presence of lynx [or any other predator] would not frighten deer away from entire areas, but it might make them move around more, and certainly keep them more alert. Only good fencing or heavy culling over a prolonged period to keep numbers very low will allow areas of woodland to regenerate.

[@randompuntur]

Why’s Ireland on that list? We don’t have lynx

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

The list is from Wikipedia and is intended to show population densities for countries against each other. A lot of the countries on the list happen to have lynx which is very convenient for me! Ireland just happened place amongst those countries but as you say, doesn’t have lynx. In the video I only specifically name countries that have lynx. Hope all that makes sense.

[@Miamcoline]

Ha links pun

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

Haha I did notice that as I was editing the video!

[@Miamcoline]

@@THE_ECONNORGIST Still counts! ;)