Buzz
Imagining the untamed English countryside often brings to mind visions of stately homes, lush meadows, and secret gardens. Lions, tigers, and bears seem to belong to a completely different tale—yet, a recent breakthrough by researchers challenges this notion. By examining the skeleton and preserved skin of an unknown animal stored in the basement of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, the team identified it as a Canadian lynx, a relative of domestic cats, cheetahs, and tigers—oh my.
A former curator at the Bristol Museum had mistakenly cataloged the specimen as a Eurasian lynx, a near but incorrect classification for this type of 'big cat.' Records show the museum obtained the animal's remains in the early 1900s after a Devonshire landowner shot it for attacking two of his dogs—an unexpectedly mundane fate for a creature typically associated with roaming snowy, dense forests.
The Canadian lynx is not indigenous to Britain, raising the question of how it arrived there if not by boat or plane. British big cats are already a puzzling phenomenon: occasional sightings are reported despite the lack of natural migration routes to the island. The Bristol Museum's specimen, however, is one of the few confirmed cases examined scientifically. One theory links the rise of non-native species, including big cats, to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976, enacted when the growing trend of exotic pet imports posed public safety risks. Fearing strict regulations and heavy penalties, owners may have recklessly released these animals into the British wilderness.
The museum’s acquisition of the lynx traces back to 1903—evidence that big cats have wandered English lands for more than a century, well before the 1976 legislation potentially prompted owners to release their exotic pets. The true origins of Britain’s big cats, including Bristol’s lone Canadian lynx, continue to elude explanation.
