One of the team of marksmen contracted by a council to kill Lillith the lynx has defended shooting the escaped animal, saying “action had to be taken”.

The Eurasian lynx was shot after straying into a caravan park near Aberystwyth town centre almost two weeks after its escape from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom.

Locals raised the alarm and Ceredigion county council ordered the animal to be killed after declaring it a threat to public safety.

Andrew Venables, a marksman who runs a local firearms training school, said that something had to be done to resolve the situation: “The very sad truth is the fact an animal was allowed to escape in the first place and that the owners were unable to catch it over a three-week period of grace,” he said.

Venables said it was necessary to get within 10 to 15 metres of an animal to tranquilise it, with the dart then taking up to 15 minutes to take effect: “During this time the animal will run.”

He added: “The animal was found in a caravan park, where tourism is vital, and the possibility of a darting response was never explored. It was further complicated by the dark, since it was a night-time operation.”

Ceredigion council said the decision had been taken to humanely destroy the wild animal after the risk it posed to the public increased to “severe” following failed attempts to recapture it.

It said: “The safety of the public was paramount and therefore once the lynx had strayed over to a populated area of the community it was necessary to act decisively.”

However, the zoo’s owner, Tracey Tweedy said that the decision to kill Lilith was political.

“Our local council were under a lot of pressure from the Welsh government, who, in turn faced calls from the National Sheep Association [to kill the lynx],” she said.

Tweedy asked for Lilith’s body to be returned but was told the lynx has been sent for a postmortem. They also refused a request for a photograph, she claimed.

“We had been pressured from the start to allow marksmen to hunt her with live ammo, but we categorically refused that option,” she added.

Ceredig Davies, councillor for Aberystwyth central, assured people on Facebook that he “was not party to the action taken”.

He added: “I and other councillors cannot absolve ourselves of the actions taken by the authority. My expectations and what I will be asking for is that following a full investigation, a report will be presented to councillors on how this unfortunate animal met its end in this way.”

The animal park that owned Lillith said it was devastated and outraged at her killing.

It said in a statement posted on Facebook: “The decision to kill her was not ours and we in no way agreed to, or participated in, the shooting of our baby lynx. We are truly devastated and outraged that this happened.”



The female, which was about twice the size of a domestic cat, had been missing from the park in Ceredigion, west Wales, since 29 October.

The park had said the 18-month-old lynx did not pose a danger to humans but had warned the public against getting too close. There have never been any recorded attacks by a lynx on a human, according to the park.



The lynx’s killing has also sparked concern from animal rights groups, which have also questioned the ethics of keeping animals in zoos.



Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), said: “Lynxes, like all animals – humans included – want to be free. When animals who have been imprisoned, like Lillith, see an opportunity to escape their dreary lives, they often take it. Sadly, these acts of liberation are often their last, as most once-captive animals that attempt to follow their natural instincts are killed.”

The RSPCA said the supposed benefits of conservation, education and research that zoos claimed to provide did not outweigh the costs to these animals, which often have shortened lives in unsuitable conditions.

“This is a very tragic incident. Keeping wild animals in captivity is a highly emotive subject and we are concerned about all animals in zoo collections,” an RSPCA spokesperson said.

Officials had warned that lynxes were wild animals with sharp teeth and claws and “will attack if cornered or trapped”. There had also been allegations from farmers that the lynx had killed sheep while on the run.

However, staff from the animal park cast doubt on these claims. “If she had been eating sheep she would look like Garfield,” said the owner, Dean Tweedy.

“There are dogs, foxes and badgers around here. We don’t believe Lillith is to blame. The reports are nonsense.”

• This article was amended on 11 November 2017 to remove an incorrect reference.

