Bringing back lynx 'would ruin livelihoods'

The Missing Lynx Project is exploring reintroducing lynx back into Northumberland

The reintroduction of lynx to a county would put a "strain on traditional hill farmers", a deputy council leader has said.

Conservative Richard Wearmouth of Northumberland County Council, said restoring the population of the predators would put the livelihoods of farmers at stake.

A lynx enclosure was unveiled by the Woodland Trust at its woodland discovery park in Herne near Canterbury which has been engineered to breed the predators for potential release.

The Missing Lynx Project is working to reintroduce the species into Northumberland after a consultation found 72% of people in the region supported it.

Supporters said restoring lynx, which were native to the UK before going extinct 500 to 1,000 years ago, could help control the populations of animals such as deer and lead to more balanced ecosystems.

However, Wearmouth said there were also concerns they could target livestock.

Dr Deborah Brady, lead ecologist for the Lifescape Project, previously said they expected the risk to livestock to be "reasonably low".

Richard Wearmouth said the council would oppose the reintroduction

"It would be a definite no from the council if we have got anything to do with it," Wearmouth told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"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 reintroducing an apex predator.

"It's people's livelihoods that are at stake."

The Missing Lynx Project is overseen by the Lifescape Project, which began investigating 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 them to thrive, the project said.

Mike Pratt, chief executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, previously said it was right to consider bringing back the species.