New pictures released of adorable lynx kittens growing up at Wild Place Project

  • Credit: Zoe Greenhill/ Wild Place Project

New pictures have been released of two adorable lynx kittens growing up at South Gloucestershire's Wild Place Project.

It comes as keepers are asking the public for help naming the pair, with a public poll set to go live later this week, allowing voters to choose from six options.

The cats are now both four-months-old, weigh about 5kg each and are roughly the same size as a large house cat.

But keepers at the conservation site say both kittens have been keeping them busy, as they need to be fed meat every day on top of the milk they get from their mother, Loka.

Although it will be some time before they are fully grown, keepers say both kittens are already becoming more adventurous, leaving their mum for short periods of time to explore their woodland home. 

Will Walker, animal manager at Wild Place Project, said: “The twins are doing incredibly well and are growing stronger by the week.

"Their mother, Loka, has done a fantastic job of caring for them. They are both bright-eyed and healthy and we are looking forward to inviting people to help us name them.”

The new twins need to be named - and Wild Place Project is asking the public to vote for their favourites later this week. Credit: Zoe Greenhill / Wild Place Project.

Members of the public will be asked to vote what they should be called, with the choices being Bramble, Briar, Holt, Copse, Maple or Rowan.

The Wild Place Project says those hoping to vote should keep their eye on the site's Facebook page, where the poll will appear later this week.

The pair are living with their family in the Bear Wood exhibit, which includes parents Loka and Zone, as well as fully-grown siblings Lox and Kinsey.

The lynx family live alongside wolverines, wolves and European brown bears in the exhibit.

It is more than 1,000 years since lynxes became extinct in the UK. The lynx family at Bear Wood are playing a role in a breeding programme to conserve the species.

Today, wild lynxes are found in deciduous and mixed forests in mainland Europe, Russia, Central Asia and parts of the Artic tundra.