Rewilding Cats... Planned and Otherwise

For the past few decades, many zoos have whole-heartedly embraced the symbolism of the modern ark, with the dream of maintaining populations of endangered species under human care and, someday, restoring them to the wild to help repair natural ecosystems.  Such reintroduction projects are the most celebrated of zoo conservation stories (sometimes I think we hype them to such as extent that the public has a hard time seeing the conservation value in literally anything else we do), but they remain challenging and elusive.  Perhaps the most challenge species to reintroduce the wild are the species that most capture the public imagination - apex predators, especially big cats.

This past week, there have been two very different stories about the restoration of cats to the wild, in each situation the largest cat native to a respective habitat.  Both took place in parts of the world that many of us would not necessarily think of as "cat country," and are emblematic of ongoing efforts to rewild those ecosystems.  Apart from that basic similarity, the two stories have been dramatically different, in terms of their conception and their outcome.

Kazakhstan's last tigers disappeared decades ago.  Now, they're back

First of all, there's Kazakhstan, the sprawling former Soviet Republic in Central Asia.  A century ago, the steppes and forests of this land were hunted by the Caspian tiger, the westernmost subspecies of the world's largest big cat, now regrettably extinct.  Recently, a pair of captive Amur tigers (the subspecies that was deemed most similar, and as such the best fit for the Caspian tigers former niche) were transferred to Kazakhstan from Stichting Leeuw, a facility in the Netherlands.  Bodhana and Kuma have been released into a large enclosure; the hope is that they will breed in these semi-wild conditions, and that their cubs will then become truly wild.  This plan is proceeding with careful coordination from government and non-government partners, working with local people (those who are most likely to be impacted by future generations of wild tigers) in an effort to maximize the success and sustainability of this tremendous venture.

Compare that to the situation in the UK...

Fears of "rogue rewilding" grow in Scottish Highlands after four lynx captured by park ranges

Last week, not one, but TWO pairs of Eurasian lynx were found wandering the Scottish Highlands,  There has been interest in reintroducing lynx - extinct in the British Isles for centuries - for many years, but the process has been slow and cautious, working to build support.  It seems that someone took the initiative for themselves and released animals.  It doesn't appear that these lynx - of unknown origin - were that well prepared for release, as the animals, so shy and stealthy in their natural state, basically ambled about until they were captured with relative ease.  They've been taken to the Edinburgh Zoo for care while the whole matter is investigated.  Of the second released pair, one animal died not long after capture.  Besides the tragic loss of the one animal, if these lynx, during their brief time out and about, had, say, killed livestock or engaged in other similar behaviors, it could have been a major blow to future attempts to restore the species to the wild legally.

"While we are passionate to see lynx back in the wild, it's crucial to stress that illegal releases like this are not the way forward... lynx have the potential to play a vital role in restoring habitats and natural processes.  Their rightful return to the wild can make a real difference - but only if it's done the right way" - Wildwood Zoo, UK