Reintroducing lynx to rural Scotland could help control spiralling numbers of deer, a new report has claimed.

       Research into attitudes of the rural population of a possible return for the predators found that controlling deer numbers “naturally” was seen as a major potential benefit.

       Lynx were once native to the UK but were driven to extinction between 500 and 1,000 years ago, due to hunting and loss of habitats.

       However, rewilding campaigners want to bring them back to Scotland, with the Cairngorms and Argyll previously identified as possible locations.

       Research commissioned by the Lynx to Scotland group concluded that there were still barriers to a trial reintroduction of the animals north of the border, but that these could potentially be overcome.

       It has proposed setting up an “action group” to examine whether mitigations could be put in place to address fears of the impact of the big cats, such as attacks on livestock or even humans.

       Absence of natural predators

       Deer numbers have expanded rapidly in Scotland over recent decades. The absence of any natural predators is seen as a major factor in allowing their population to snowball.

       Researchers were told that deer had learned to avoid areas used by hunters for culls, and were instead hiding in dense woodland inaccessible to humans.

       “Supporters of lynx reintroduction anticipate that in predating woodland deer, lynx will contribute to nutrient cycling, vegetation and tree regeneration, and carcass provision for other species,” the report stated.

       “In being ‘natural’, it is anticipated to be more palatable to the Scottish public than culling by people, and perhaps less resisted in the areas where culling is contentious.”

       Previously, beavers and sea eagles, once extinct in the UK, have been reintroduced to Scotland.

       While breeding programmes have been hailed as a major success story by environmentalists, both have caused problems for farmers.

       Beavers have been blamed for causing flooding and destroying woodland, while eagles have recently been blamed for killing crofters’ lambs.

       There has also been a drive to reintroduce lynx to Kielder Forest in Northumberland, although the plan has run into fierce opposition from local residents.

       Previous research has suggested that there is enough habitat and deer in the Highlands to support a population of around 400 wild lynx.

       Penny Middleton, policy manager for NFU Scotland, said its members were “extremely concerned” over discussions around the reintroduction of lynx.

       She added: “It is farmers and crofters who end up carrying all the costs and negative impacts from these projects.”

       As part of the new study, more than 100 interviews were conducted, alongside online meetings and community events.

       Farmers, gamekeepers, foresters, conservationists, landowners, tourism operators and rural communities contributed to the findings.

       The SNP Government has said it has no plans to reintroduce large carnivores, including lynx, wolves and bears, to Scotland. Any legal reintroduction project would have to be approved by Nature Scot, the environment quango.

       Peter Cairns, executive director of Scotland: The Big Picture, a charity that supports rewilding, said: “When it comes to the return of the lynx, we’re in the realm of not yet - but not never.

       “Positively, this new research shows there is sufficient appetite amongst different stakeholders to develop a more comprehensive understanding of this little-known species and the potential for its return to Scotland.”