[Derek Roxborough]

I see they have now shot the Lynx that posed no threat to humans (The wild life parks words) pity it wasn't a rhino, they would have darted it, Derek Roxborough

[Terry Coging]

Absolutely Derek. The term 'stupid, stupid, stupid, come to mind.

[Derek Roxborough]

 the lynx was found asleep and they set out to net it when a council man fell over and woke it up, so it was shot after a vet said the Terrain was unsuitable to use a drugged dart, so   high powered rifles and 2 marksmen with night vision gear  were used , what a bloody useless shower, Derek Roxborough

[Jeff Donovan]

From Borth Wildlife Facebook Page, they are not happy, was the council man wanting a Selfie with the lynx?

We are truly devastated by the hunting and killing of Lillith last night. For the past three weeks we have been tracking and attempting to catch her in a safe way. We have employed 24-hour, on-site help from expert trackers and animal recovery specialists who have been aiding us in our efforts, but she proved to be quite elusive. We have spared no expense or effort in our search.

The only options available to us were live catching with nets or luring her into one of the many bait traps that we built and placed in areas she was frequenting. The authorities lent us one bait trap (that was too small) and a few camera traps to aid us in our search. All other help we either employed ourselves or was offered freely by friends and members of the public.

Initially Lillith escaped to the hill behind the zoo and then moved across the bog to a remote, dense woodland. We were advised by the government appointed vet that darting was not possible due to the terrain. We had been pressured from the start to allow marksmen to hunt her with live ammo, but we categorically refused that option. All the time she remained in the woods we could argue that she was a danger to no-one and we fought for more time to capture her alive.

Two days ago, in the early evening we had a call saying that Lillith had been spotted less than a mile away at a local caravan park. The park was closed and empty for the winter period and Lillith was discovered asleep under one of the caravans. When the call came in we were in the middle of a council inspection and the council officials insisted on accompanying us to the location where she was seen. When we got there the caravan was boarded in on three sides with decking and all we had to do was sling a net across the back and we would have had her trapped. Unfortunately, one of the officials insisted that he needed to photograph her and make a positive ID before we were allowed close. He slipped and fell going up the bank which startled her causing her to run past him and off across the fields.

After a fruitless search we were informed that due to her being in a heavily populated area they would be issuing a shoot to kill order and we had run out of time. We made one final effort yesterday to lay traps for her and we were out all day looking for her with catch nets, but the shocking call came in late last night that they had killed her. In just 24 hours they had called in marksmen who had used state-of-the-art night scopes and thermal imaging cameras to hunt her down and shoot her dead. To say we were devastated was an understatement.

The zoo will remain closed until further notice. When we took over this business just six months ago we knew it was in a terrible state. It had been neglected and run down for quite a while with many of the enclosures rotting and not fit for purpose. I think the previous owners had lost heart with the place and had stopped investing in improvements which is why they wanted to sell it. It’s quite an unusual place as it takes in many animals that would not be accepted elsewhere. Many of the animals are rescued from the animal trade or are exotic pets that the owner cannot look after any more.

It is our intention to reopen after inspection and carry on the work here to give these animals the decent home that they so richly deserve with new enclosures and better amenities. We would like to thank the many people of Borth who have supported our efforts and all the words of encouragement from people far and wide.

[Derek Roxborough]

I wonder which was the most dangerous the Lynx or shooting a high powered rifle in a heavily populated area? bloody councils Eh? Derek Roxborough

[Bob Mitchell]

Once they are running wild all over the place then we will see how peaceful they are.
It is the same with the beavers. They kill large beautiful trees that can be several hundred years old and mess up other parts of the river but that does not matter. There is talk of getting some more abroad to make up for the loses that have occurred. Would make sense to trap the beavers on the Tay system but that would be to simple.
Bob.

[Rob Brownfield]

Not sure we can compare a beaver to a Lynx. Beavers are knot known for claws and canine teeth But I know what you mean.

I think the issue over the terrain not being suitable for a dart will be around the risk to the shooter if the dart does not make good contact. The rifles used are quite low powered and accuracy is not great. The last thing they need is a Lynx that's been half sedated and that has a dart hanging out its backside.

Anywhere where the shot is not completely clear and where "muscle" cannot be hit, then I am afraid its the old proper rifle if a risk to the population is deemed possible.

I can imagine a Lynx getting a bit upset if pursued.

And back to beavers. We were down in Tayside/Perthshire 2 weekends ago. I took cass to a bit of river I used to fish about 10 years ago for Pike. From being a treelines deep stretch, it is now almost devoid of trees, and the bank has collapsed in some parts, causing a shallow, fast running section rather than the deeper, fish holding areas that were there before. Used to produce big grayling too.

All what was left was knawed stumps.

[Derek Roxborough]

I see they have managed to kill a second lynx at that park, strangled with a dog noose ( By Accident?)  nothing wrong with a Beaver just depends whose it is    Derek Roxborough

[Rob Brownfield]

nothing wrong with a Beaver just depends whose it is    Derek Roxborough

Have you ever seen a Tayside one? Big hairy beasts that come out at night and stalk the pubs and clubs!...No thanks! lol

[Derek Roxborough]

I see Borth Park managed to kill another lynx, strangled in a Dog noose,? Derek Roxborough