After three weeks of evading capture, Flaviu, the runaway lynx from Dartmoor Zoo, has finally been secured.
The Carpathian lynx was captured early yesterday morning when zookeepers tracked him to a local farm, where they discovered he had killed four lambs.
Believing that Flaviu was adapting to the wild and learning to hunt, the staff set a trap to lure him back.
Flaviu’s adventure might come with an unexpected reward despite his escape, as zoo officials now search for a female lynx to be his companion.
Zoo owner Ben Mee expressed relief, telling The Sun, “It was a moment of pure elation. Every expert I spoke to said it could take months to catch him. The most important thing is that he’s safe now. He’s grumpy, but we’re already looking for a mate.”
Flaviu was found near Hemerdon Plantation, close to the zoo, and head tracker Andrew Goatman, 37, set the trap that ultimately caught the elusive lynx. Goatman suspected that Flaviu would return to the site of his recent kills.
After removing the lambs’ remains and ensuring the safety of other livestock, he baited a mesh trap measuring 5 by 2 feet with veal.
Goatman believes captivity is the best place for Flaviu, as he fears the lynx might otherwise be shot.
Flaviu, just two years old, made his daring escape by digging his way out of his enclosure on the day he arrived at the zoo.
Within 48 hours, police and zoo staff managed to locate him using drones equipped with thermal imaging, but they were unable to tranquilize him. Over the following weeks, Flaviu avoided around 25 traps before finally being caught.
For now, Flaviu is housed in the zoo’s cheetah enclosure while improvements are made to his security.
This isn’t Dartmoor Zoo’s first experience with animal escapes. In 2007, a Canadian timber wolf named Parker managed to get out, prompting a search involving armed police. Parker was found after two hours and tranquilized near a quarry before being returned to the zoo.
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