First Minister John Swinney has ruled out the legal reintroduction of lynx into the wild in Scotland.
His comments follow concerns about the illegal release of four lynx in the Cairngorms last month.
Campaigners have been working on plans for the controlled reintroduction of the cats to benefit rural biodiversity but farmers have raised concerns about the impact they would have on livestock.
I don’t think it would take on an adult red deer. But roe deer definitely, and probably fallow deer too. They are known to hunt animals well above their own size. And sure, hares and smaller animals too.