The first lynx is not due to be released into the wild until next year but the claws are out already.
Sheep farmers have clashed with the group behind plans to reintroduce ten of the big cats in Kielder forest in Northumbria 1,300 years after they disappeared from Britain’s countryside.
The National Sheep Association (NSA) has accused Lynx UK of using misleading figures to downplay the threat to its members’ flocks.
Lynx released near Kielder Water would tend to remain in forests and prey mainly on roe deer, according to supporters
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Lynx UK has hit back with claims that poor husbandry is a far bigger threat than lynx could ever be.
The exploits of Flaviu, a lynx that escaped from Dartmoor Zoo in July and spent three weeks on the run, have ignited the debate.
Flaviu killed three or four lambs before he was recaptured.