Animal park closed as search for lynx intensifies

An animal park has been closed as members of staff try to find an escaped lynx.

The Eurasian lynx, about twice the size of a domestic cat, escaped from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom, near Aberystwyth.

Ceredigion council licensing officers closed the park "for public safety". Staff are looking for the animal with the help of thermal imaging cameras.

Sgt Gareth Cross, from Dyfed-Powys Police, said there was not a "general danger" to the public.

A police helicopter saw what was believed to be the lynx on a nearby hill on Sunday and there was a further sighting in the area later that night.

The helicopter will be sent out again on Monday night and will use thermal imaging cameras to help find the animal.

Police said they have been told the lynx, called Lilleth, went missing some time during the past five days.

The council said it was investigating the escape.

Tracy Tweedy, one of the zoo's owners, told BBC Wales' Good Morning Wales programme they thought she had been hiding in the enclosure but discovered the lynx had definitely gone missing on Sunday.

"She's done this before, hidden herself away when she's been slightly injured, and when she's feeling better she comes out," Mrs Tweedy said.

"On Friday and Saturday we were filming to see if we could spot her and and when we couldn't spot her on film we thought the worst, that she had died."

Mrs Tweedy said the other lynxes were taken out of the enclosure for a search to take place and it was then discovered the animal was missing.

Sgt Cross said they intended to send the police helicopter out again to continue the search.

"We believe it may have been seen after it was reported to us yesterday [Sunday] evening... so we are still exploring that sighting," he said

A park official said a lynx can travel about 12 miles (19km) a day, but Sgt Cross told BBC Breakfast they believe the lynx could still be in "relative close proximity" to the animal park.

He said: "The animal was born and bred in captivity and we believe it could have been seen nearby the park last night so our working theories at the moment are that this is the place it knows it can get food so it's likely to stay in that area."

The wild cat is described as being tan and white in colour with dark spots on her back and legs, with a thick, stubby tail which is no more than six inches long.

There have been discussions about trialling the reintroduction of the wild lynx into the UK.

Lynx Trust UK hopes to reintroduce wild lynxes on the Scottish/English border, while five landowners in Wales have also shown interest in hosting their reintroduction.

Dr Paul O'Donoghue, chief scientific advisor to charity Lynx UK Trust, stressed that "a zoo lynx is not a wild lynx" as it was reared by humans.

He said that if the missing lynx did kill a sheep or goes near a village this was "not indicative" of the behaviour of wild lynxes.

"There are far more dangerous dogs around in Wales," he added. "The lynx belongs in the UK just like hedgehogs, rabbits or badgers as part of our flora and fauna."