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image captionHunting and habitat loss wiped out lynx in Britain between 500 and 1,000 years ago
Hundreds of years after the last lynx died out in Britain, people in Scotland are being asked about whether the cats should be reintroduced.
Eurasian lynx are the third largest predator in continental Europe after the brown bear and wolf. Their main prey are roe deer - a small deer that favours woodland.
Lynx were once native to Britain but were driven to extinction 500 to 1,000 years ago due to hunting and habitat loss.
Three charities - Scotland: The Big Picture, Trees for Life and Vincent Wildlife Trust - have come together to look into the potential of releasing lynx into the wild in Scotland.
Country Life
Trending: A Eurasian Lynx cub. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
The question of whether to reintroduce the Eurasian lynx is to be put to the public of Scotland via a consultation being run by a group of charities.
It is hoped that the apex predators will help keep exploding populations of deer under control in the Scottish Highlands and conservationists believe that there is enough space to support a population of some 200 animals.
It is thought that the last lynx in the UK died about 500 years ago, but, since the 1970s, the predators have been slowly reintroduced in several European countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, France, Slovenia and Croatia, among others.