Police are investigating the reported sightings of two lynx in the Scottish Highlands after a pair of the cats were released and then captured earlier in the week.
They received reports the animals had been seen in the Dell of Killiehuntly area near Kingussie at about 7.10am on Friday.
Members of the public have been warned not to approach the animals, and police said they are working with specially trained personnel to capture them.
Officers said they believe the sighting was connected to the illegal release of two lynx seen in the same area on Wednesday, which were safely captured on Thursday.
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) chief executive David Field said humane traps are being set in the area to catch the animals.
Field said: “Further traps are being baited in the area and the hope is that these animals will be safely and humanely captured before being taken to Edinburgh Zoo to join the two captured yesterday in quarantine.”
He added: “RZSS condemns the illegal release of wild animals in the strongest possible terms and urges anyone with information on the release of these lynx to contact Police Scotland.”
The lynx captured on Thursday were taken by RZSS to quarantine facilities at the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms, with the animals due to be transferred to Edinburgh Zoo, where their health and welfare will be assessed.
David Barclay, manager of the RZSS Saving Wildcats team, said that long term the creatures may be rehomed in Highland Wildlife Park, which is already home to two northern lynx named Switch and Neon.
Police said inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of the sighting.
The “illegal release” of the animals into the wild has been condemned by wildlife groups, who said it is very unlikely the animals can survive.
Speaking after the capture of the two lynx on Thursday, Field said: “It was a highly irresponsible act and it is very unlikely they would have survived in the wild due to a lack of adequate preparation.
“Their abandonment was reckless to the animals, public, the community and nature.”
Lynx to Scotland, a project working to return the species to the Highlands, also condemned the illegal release.
Peter Cairns, executive director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, one of the three charities involved in the project, said it was “excellent news” the first two lynx had been captured quickly and are safe.
He added: “The Lynx to Scotland project is working to secure the return of Lynx to the Scottish Highlands, but irresponsible and illegal releases such as this are simply counter-productive.”
