
Can this lynx born in a zoo learn to live in the wild?
As the door of its crate opens, the lynx sniffs the air, checks the coast is clear and cautiously takes its first steps toward freedom in Germany's Black Forest.
A lynx born in a zoo in Cornwall could become the first UK zoo-born cat to be successfully released into the wild.
Animals born and raised in zoos are rarely considered for release because they either don't have the survival skills or have become too used to human interaction.
But a shortage of female lynxes in the European breeding programme led to the unusual request being made for the cat from Newquay Zoo.
It has been moved to Germany where it will spend the next few months being monitored in an enclosure to see if it's up to the challenge.
This week the BBC watched on as, with the help of some judicious prodding with a broom, the Newquay lynx was loaded onto a truck headed for southwestern Germany.
Two days later we were in Germany as it was cajoled into a 1,200-sq-metre enclosure. John Meek from Newquay Zoo was also on hand to see the lynx gingerly stroll out into its new home.
"I'm a big boy but I had a few tears in my eyes," he said. " Nowadays, zoos are not here to keep animals in cages. They're there for conservation. And this is it, conservation in action."
Thousands of lynx already roam wild in European forests but efforts are being made to introduce new cats to increase their genetic diversity particularly in central Europe.
Though not officially classed as a "big cat" Eurasian lynx can weigh up to 30 kilos and hunt deer for food.
Once native to the UK they were driven to extinction hundreds of years ago and with British deer populations at record levels there have been calls for their re-introduction.
"Basically I'm Tinder for the zoo-born lynx," says Dina Gebhardt from Bern Animal Park with a smile when I speak to her on Zoom.
It was her who sent out the SOS for the Newquay lynx.
The lynx-breeding coordinator for the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), she matches females and males from across the continent as well as finding new homes for their offspring.
"Our nature is very fragmented, due to railways and streets and cities. And this means we created a lot of barriers for the lynx, which leads to inbreeding," Dina says.
To combat that Dina finds captive young lynx that can be introduced into the wild to increase numbers and improve the genetic mix. Usually Dina's lynxes have been raised from birth with the minimum of human contact, specifically with release in mind.
But last year, much to Dina's frustration, there was a particularly high number of male lynxes born. And a successful rewilding programme needs females much more than males.
So Dina reached out to Newquay Zoo to ask them if their one year old female might be available.
"Of course we said yes straight away, that's something that we'd love to do," says John Meek, the curator of plants and animals at Newquay Zoo.
Over the next few months the lynx will be monitored to see if it has the necessary skills to survive in the wild. Catching and killing prey is not expected to be a problem.
"If you know your cats, you know that even a cat that has lived in a room its whole life, once it gets out is able to kill a bird or a mouse," Eva Klebelsberg who runs the lynx reintroduction programme for Baden-Württemberg told us.
We're standing over the carcass of a Roe Deer in the Black Forest just outside Karlsruhe. There is a small population of lynxes already living in the forest and this is one of their kills.
There are puncture marks on its throat – a sure sign.
"Our ecosystems in Europe are missing large predators," Eva says, explaining that the lynx helps control populations of deer as well as ensuring that they keep moving and don't strip forested areas.
The key question in relation to the Newquay lynx is likely to be its relationship with humans. Having spent its entire life looking through bars at visitors and being fed by keepers it will need to show that it is not going to seek out more human interaction.
"Central Europe is very crowded and we don't have many places where there is enough space for larger animals." says Dr Marco Roller from Karlsruhe zoo, who manages the enclosure.
"We don't want human animal conflicts. So for us it's important we don't have aggressive animals or curious animals which may walk through cities or close to human settlements."
The final decision on the Newquay lynx's fate will be taken later in the summer after several months of close monitoring.
Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
Rewilding
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
John Simpson: I got Frederick Forsyth sacked from the BBC
John Simpson has claimed that he engineered Frederick Forsyth's sacking from the BBC for spreading 'propaganda' about the Biafran War. Forsyth, who died earlier this week, maintained that he quit his job as a BBC foreign correspondent because he was fed up with his bosses, who thought he was biased in favour of the Biafran fight for independence. But Simpson, the BBC's world affairs editor, says he was instrumental in Forsyth's exit, and suggested that Forsyth might never have written The Day of the Jackal were it not for his intervention. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'The Times obit on Freddie Forsyth says he left the BBC in 1967 because he displeased powerful people by his reporting from Biafra. Not quite. 'As a very junior BBC subeditor, I spotted how he was introducing Biafran propaganda into his reports and told my boss. Forsyth was sacked – and went on to write one of the best thrillers ever.' The Times obit on Freddie Forsyth says he left the BBC in 1967 because he displeased powerful people by his reporting from Biafra. Not quite. As a very junior BBC subeditor I spotted how he was introducing Biafran propaganda into his reports and told my boss. Forsyth was… — John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) June 11, 2025 Writing for The Telegraph more than 20 years ago, Simpson said: 'As an extremely lowly subeditor in the BBC radio newsroom, I had to put Mr Forsyth's Biafran dispatches on the air. 'Even at the age of 23, I could see that he had accepted the Biafran line entirely. He was reporting propaganda as fact. 'Eventually he announced, without any qualification, that Biafra had shot down (as far as I remember) 16 federal Nigerian aircraft. 'The newsroom copy of Jane's All The World's Aircraft said that the federal air force possessed only 12.' Forsyth joined the BBC in 1965, first as a radio reporter then as the assistant diplomatic correspondent for BBC Television. When war broke out between Nigeria and the secessionist Republic of Biafra, he was dispatched there for three months. Writing in 2020 to mark the 50th anniversary of the war's end, Forsyth said he realised within days of arriving in Biafra that the BBC had swallowed British government propaganda. Harold Wilson's government supported Nigeria in its fight against the Biafran forces. Forsyth said: 'My brief was to report the all-conquering march of the Nigerian army. It did not happen. 'Naively, I filed this. When my report was broadcast our high commission complained to the CRO [Commonwealth Relations Office], who passed it on to the BBC – which accused me of pro-rebel bias and recalled me to London. 'Six months later, in February 1968, fed up with the slavishness of the BBC to Whitehall, I walked out and flew back to West Africa.' He said that 'every reporter, peer or parliamentarian who had visited Biafra and reported on what he had seen was smeared as a stooge'. Forsyth later wrote a non-fiction book, The Biafra Story (1969), and used some of his experiences there to inform his third novel, The Dogs of War. The conflict officially ended in 1970. It caused an estimated one million civilian deaths from starvation after the Nigerian federal government cut off food supplies to Biafra. Forsyth remained 'haunted' by what he had seen there, saying: 'Sometimes in the wee small hours I see the stick-like children with the dull eyes and lolling heads, and hear their wails of hunger and the low moans as they died. 'What is truly shameful is that this was not done by savages but aided and assisted at every stage by Oxbridge-educated British mandarins… with neutrality and diplomacy from London it could all have been avoided.'


Wales Online
5 hours ago
- Wales Online
'Ambitious and bright' hiker died after falling from Welsh peak as friends watched on in horror
'Ambitious and bright' hiker died after falling from Welsh peak as friends watched on in horror Maria Eftimova died after falling nearly 65ft from Tryfan in Eryri Maria Eftimova tragically lost her life after falling from Tryfan in Eryri (Image: UGC ) An "ambitious and bright" hiker died after she tripped and fell from mountain in Eryri, an inquest heard. Witnesses at the inquest into the death Maria Eftimova recounted the tragic last moments of her life before she fell from Tryfan on February 22, 2025. One witness told the inquest that the 28-year-old fell off the rockface, flying over him as he "froze". Another witness said Ms Eftimova was in a "freefall". It is understood that the Ms Eftimova, who worked as a civil engineer, fell nearly 65 feet to her death, suffering severe head injuries. At an inquest hearing in Caernarfon, senior coroner for north west Wales, Kate Robertson concluded Ms Eftimova's death was accidental, reports North Wales Live. The inquest was told that Ms Eftimova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, was a British Citizen who lived in St Helens, and had graduated from the University of Salford. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here Harry Jones, who was hiking with Ms Eftimova, said in a statement that he had joined a group of 20 hikers before they set off up Tryfan at 9am that day. Tributes have since been paid to the 'ambitious, bright and cherished' woman Article continues below While on the hike, Mr Jones and Ms Eftimova, along with another five hikers, split from the rest of the group attempting to take a harder route to the summit. The rest of the group chose to take an easier route for the summit. Mr Jones said: "We travelled in single file, moving from ledge to ledge, once the person in front had vacated it." Another hiker, named Neil Oakes was ahead followed by Maria, and then Mr jones at the back. Mr Jones said: "I could see on one particular ledge Maria stopped in order to get a handhold. To pull herself up. I was six feet below her, to the left. "She swung her right leg up to pull herself up. I asked 'Got it well?' and she said 'I think so'." However, Mr Jones said that he then saw Ms Eftimova "flying over me" going down the mountain side. Mr Jones added that he "completely froze". The inquest was told that the other hikers then came down, lowering Ms Eftimova to a safer ledge, and called 999. One of the fellow hikers continued to give CPR to Ms Eftimova until Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team (OVMRT) members arrived followed by a helicopter. Another fellow hiker, Neil Oakes, said in a statement he was also part of the small group which had chosen to go through the Grade 2 route. Mr Oakes was ahead of Ms Eftimova. Mr Oakes said: "I turned and saw Ms Eftimova tumbling through the air below me. She was already in freefall. I knew there was going to be an impact on the rocky outcrop below so I turned away for a split second. I was shouting 'No, no, no, no.' "When I turned back she was on the ledge below. I knew that it was serious. (Another hiker above) said 'What?" and I said 'She's gone. She's fallen'. I was in shock." Consultant histopathologist Dr Muhammad Zain Mehdi carried out a post mortem examination at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. The doctor found that Ms Eftimova sustained severe head injuries. He said in a report that there was external damage to the brain including the brain stem which led to death. Dr Mehdi concluded that Ms Eftimova died due to a laceration to the brain, caused by a fractured skull due to a fall. The coroner concluded that Ms Eftimova's death was accidental. The coroner said: "It seems that Maria was scrambling with others when she has unintentionally and unexpectedly fallen and during the course of that fall she has sustained the injuries which have sadly led to her death." The coroner described Ms Eftimova as "bright and conscientious" and extended her sincere condolences to Ms Eftimova's family, who had joined the hearing via a video link with a Bulgarian interpreter, and her friends. The inquest had been told earlier that Ms Eftimova was a civil engineer for the Costain group, while her father Rosen Eftimov had stated that she had "snowboarded intensely", had been a surfer, and marathon runner. Ms Eftimova had trained in intensive swimming, winning awards and distinctions. This year in January, she undertook a glacier climbing course in Norway and had also practiced pole dancing, her father said. Following her death, people paid loving tributes to the "ambitious, bright and cherished" woman online. A fundraiser to raise £15,000 to bring Ms Eftimova back to her family in Bulgaria was also launched, garnering £19,389 in donations. The fundraiser's organiser Victoria Critchley said on the fundraising site: "Maria was an ambitious, bright and cherished 28-year-old, whose vibrant personality, energy and aura touched and uplifted all around her. She had a passion for engineering, having studied civil engineering at the University of Salford and a love for extreme sports. Article continues below "Her biggest passion being snowboarding, which she was super excited for and looking forward to doing again on her upcoming trip to Austria. She had an insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world's beauty. Tragically, she was taken from her family far far far too soon!"


Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
‘Holy Grail' shipwreck filled with £15,000,000,000 in treasure ‘found'
Stunning underwater photos have brought researchers one step closer to confirming the location of the 'holy grail of shipwrecks'. The San José, a Spanish ship, sunk in June 1708 after an attack by the British Royal Navy off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. At least 200 tonnes of gold, silver, gems, jewellery and other treasures collected in Spain's South American colonies were being shipped to King Philip V to finance his war of succession against the British. Spain and Britain were fighting the War of the Spanish Succession. But the huge hoard, thought to be worth about £14.8billion ($20billion) in today's money, went down with the ship and only 11 of its 600 sailors survived. The Colombian navy claimed it found the San José wreck in 2015, but evidence of its identity was limited – but new research published this week provides the strongest evidence yet that they are correct. The study, published in the Antiquity journal, includes pictures taken by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) examining the shipwreck which rests about 1,970ft below the surface. The high-quality images, using advanced underwater imaging and high-resolution scans of the coins, revealed the date the coins were struck. The coins, known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish, feature the mark of Lima, Peru. Some are stamped with the royal symbols of Castile and León, the emblems of Spain's empire. Crucially they are dated 1707, which is the year the San José set sail. Archaeologist Daniela Vargas Ariza, of Colombia's Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, explained: Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries. 'This body of evidence substantiates the identification of the wreck as the San José Galleon. 'The finding of cobs created in 1707 at the Lima Mint points to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route in the early eighteenth century. 'The San José galleon is the only ship that matches these characteristics.' In 2023, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would raise the wreckage before his time in office ends in 2026. check our news page.