The Eurasian lynx disappeared from Britain 1,300 years ago. Reintroduction proposals raise important welfare questions for lynx, deer, and the rural communities they would affect.
Lynx welfare in a UK reintroduction context would centre on translocation stress and territorial establishment. Lynx are particularly sensitive to capture and handling compared to some other felids. Individual animals would face the welfare costs of adjusting to novel prey species, avoiding human contact, and establishing territories in habitat potentially fragmented by roads. Beneficially, roe deer welfare might improve if overpopulation and associated disease are reduced by lynx predation. The welfare case is complex but manageable with good veterinary protocols.