Two more lynx abandoned in the Scottish Highlands have been captured, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said.
The capture of the two wildcats comes after another two lynx seen in the Dell of Killiehuntly near Kingussie, on Wednesday, which were safely captured yesterday.
The RZSS said: "Two additional lynx who appear to have been deliberately abandoned in the Cairngorms have been safely captured this evening.
"The medium-sized cats were spotted on camera traps overnight on 9/10 January.
"Staff from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland then baited a series of humane traps in the area to entice them with and have been working with Police Scotland and rangers from the Cairngorms National Park Authority to monitor the area throughout the day.
"The animals were captured at around 6.30pm, near to the Dell of Killiehuntly, where two other lynx had been successfully caught the previous day.
"They will now be brought to the nearby Highland Wildlife Park to be checked over by RZSS veterinarians, before being moved to quarantine facilities in Edinburgh Zoo."
Dr Helen Senn, RZSS head of conservation, said: "I'm sure that everyone in the community will be happy and relieved to know that the second pair of lynx have been safely captured.
"Early reports are that they appear to be in good health, which is the most important thing.
"It's been a rollercoaster 48 hours, with people working throughout the day and night, in some extremely challenging conditions, but I've been so impressed by the efforts of our own staff as well as partners, and members of the local community, to ensure that the outcome is a positive one.
"Although we don't think that there are any more lynx out there, we will continue to monitor the release site under the direction of Police Scotland."
A Police Scotland statement said: "Inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances of how they came to be in the area, as well as the additional pair of lynx which were captured on Thursday, 9 January, 2025.
"We would continue to ask people not to travel to the area, particularly in the current weather conditions. Further inquiries will remain ongoing in the woods, involving officers and specialist animal experts."
The "illegal release" of the animals into the wild has been condemned by wildlife groups, who said it is very unlikely the animals could have survived.
Speaking after the capture of the two lynx yesterday, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland chief executive David 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."
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.
