Hunt for feral pigs 'illegally dumped' in Highlands
The Cairngorms National Park Authority said the pigs were seen near the Uath Lochans area of the Highlands park, which is near the village of Inch, on Monday.
It said they appeared to have been illegally abandoned and staff were attempting to capture the "relatively domesticated" animals.
The pigs were spotted about five miles away from where four lynx were illegally released in the park last month.
The big cats were captured successfully but one died shortly afterwards.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland said they would have been under great stress after being abandoned in a new and "extremely harsh" environment.
A park authority spokesman said on social media: "We are aware that feral pigs have been spotted in an area of the Cairngorms National Park near Uath Lochans.
"The Park Authority is working closely with partners - including NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) - to ascertain the full facts on the ground and FLS is currently attempting to trap the animals.
"The animals appear to be relatively domesticated and it is likely that this is an illegal release. The park authority condemns any illegal release of animals in the strongest possible terms."
The Cairngorms National Park is the UK's biggest national park, sprawling across 1,748 sq miles (2,813 sq km) and includes parts of five local authorities - Aberdeenshire, Angus, Highland, Moray and Perth and Kinross.
Scottish Land and Estates (SLE), which supports rural businesses, condemned the "reckless" release, and encouraged anyone with information to contact police.
Ross Ewing, director of moorland at SLE, said: "This appears to be a reckless and illegal act which demonstrates a total disregard for both animal welfare and the wider environment.
"We saw the tragic consequences of last month's illegal lynx release, which resulted in the death of one of the animals.
"Those responsible for these incidents show little concern for the welfare of the species they release or the serious impacts they could have."
A NatureScot spokesman said: "We are aware of a number of sightings of feral pigs in the Insh area.
"FLS are leading on trapping these animals and we are liaising with partner agencies to ascertain the full circumstances of how they came to be in the area.
"We understand that Police Scotland has also been informed of the situation."
Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.
The quest to catch the Cairngorms' mysterious lynx
Lynx dies after being captured in Cairngorms
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