Former Dartmoor Zoo owner: 'current boss who has lost a lynx is destroying our legacy'

29 JULY 2016 • 4:08PM

The former owners of a zoo have launched a scathing attack on their successor after the escape of a lynx- and accused him of destroying their legacy.

Ben Mee bought Dartmoor Zoo from the Daw family in 2006 after they had owned it for 36 years. His story was popularised in the film We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon.

But Lynne Daw, 64, who ran it with her former husband Ellis, says she is distraught at how he has run things and were devastated he let a big cat escape from the grounds.

They have also accused Mr Mee of neglecting the health and safety of the animals in lieu of promoting himself.

And they claim he has "invented" a story about them releasing pumas into the wild to distract from his own safety lapses.

Owner of Dartmoor Zoo discusses escaped lynxPlay!01:09

In response, Mr Mee said he was disappointed with the family's comments and that his zoo has all the required safety features.

But Mrs Daw, of Plymouth, Devon, said: "We ran the zoo for 36 years and I was always in charge of the big cats. I am so, so angry with what I have heard him claim.

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Dartmoor Lynx recaptured after three weeks on run

31 July 2016

A lynx that escaped from Dartmoor Zoo in Devon has been captured - after more than three weeks on the run.

The police had warned that the cat, named Flaviu, could be dangerous if cornered.

The Carpathian lynx, the size of a large domestic cat, was found after walking into a humane trap and is now back at the zoo.

Zoo owner Ben Mee told BBC Radio Devon it was "a huge relief" to have got the animal back.

He said that they had been "living in the hope" that he would wander into a trap looking for food.

"I've been speaking to lynx trackers all around the world and I was getting more confident that he would end up doing this but the timescale was the thing that worried me. They said it could be a week or six weeks or six months."

Flaviu was trapped about a quarter of a mile away from the zoo in woods at Hemerdon.

Thirty members of staff and volunteers began combing the zoo but found no trace of the animal, concluding that he had left the park.

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Dangerous big cat on the loose after ESCAPING zoo as police put schools on alert

POLICE are hunting a dangerous lynx wild cat on the loose after it managed to escape from its new zoo enclosure one day after it arrived.

By REBECCA PERRING

PUBLISHED: 12:08, Thu, Jul 7, 2016 | UPDATED: 15:12, Thu, Jul 7, 2016

Devon and Cornwall Police have urged people not to approach the lynx "as it could become dangerous if alarmed or cornered".

The wild cat only arrived at Dartmoor Zoo on Wednesday, but zookeepers discovered it had dug itself out of its enclosure when they went to check on it at about 10.20am this morning. 

Schools have been placed on high alert following the incident. 

Officers confirmed helicopters are scouring the Plymouth area for the large wild cat, which is described as a grey/silver two-year-old male, bigger than the size of a large domestic cat, but smaller than a lion or tiger.

The lynx is a two-year-old male, approximately the size of a large domestic cat and is described as grey/silver in colour

Staff made the shock discovery when they went to check on how the animal was settling into its new home. 

Thirty members of frantic staff and volunteers searched the 33-acre park, but the animal is now thought to have left the grounds.

The zoo was closed as a precaution, as police launched a major hunt for the wild animal. 

Police have urged members of the public not to approach the animal "as it could become dangerous if alarmed or cornered".

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter has been deployed to assist with the search of the boundaries of the zoological park.

Officers have visited two local schools to offer safety advice and reassurance.

They are also working with staff at Little Orchard Montessori School to make sure they are kept inside, while making house to house visits in the area to offer advice and are assisting with the search on the ground.

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