Eurasian Lynx brothers move into new home at county attraction

The quartet, who were born at Hoo Zoo & Dinosaur World in Telford in 2022, have been moved into the larger habitat at the attraction because they are now fully grown.

It means the brothers, Cain, Lucifer, Amenadiel and Zadkiel, will be roaming around in Hoo Zoo's new 'Land of the Beasts' section, which recently opened during the May half term.

The Eurasian Lynx was previously native to the United Kingdom but became extinct in the country approximately 1,300 years ago.

The extinction was primarily due to a combination of habitat loss, human persecution, and the decline of their prey.

As agriculture expanded and forests were cleared for farmland, the dense woodland habitats that lynx relied on were significantly reduced.

During the Middle Ages, lynx were also extensively hunted for their fur and were a perceived threat to livestock, further driving down their numbers.

Hoo Zoo & Dinosaur World owner, Will Dorrell, said: “Eurasian Lynx would have roamed the United Kingdom thousands of years ago and as far back as the last Ice Age, before being driven to extinction.

"Our four lynx brothers are ambassadors for their species and are a stark reminder that if we don’t take conservation seriously, then we will lose some of the world’s most amazing creatures,”

He added: "Eurasian Lynx have already been re-introduced to countries in Mainland Europe including in France, Germany and Austria, with some areas of these countries now home to stable populations of the species.

"Although our male lynx won’t be re-introduced to the wild, moving them to their new habitat in Land of the Beasts is the first stage of our plans for them and we hope to build an expanded woodland habitat for them in the near future.”