Farmers could be offered free llamas to protect their sheep from wild lynx under a new scheme.
Conservationists are hoping to reintroduce lynx to Britain, despite fury from farmers over sheep welfare.
Lynx UK Trust has submitted plans to Natural England for permission to carry out lynx re-introduction in Kielder forest, Northumberland.
It is the first ever application made in the UK for the species to be re-introduced.
Lynx UK Trust believes the lynx is a native species that belongs in the UK, having been hunted to extinction around 500-700AD.
The Trust believes reintroduction is vital in re-storing a natural balance in the British countryside.
But farmers are saying the Eurasian lynx are classed as dangerous wild animals under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, and that it would therefore be a 'criminal offence' to keep them without a local authority licence.
Guardian animals
However, Lynx UK Trust has pledged to establish a sheep welfare programme which will provide grants to build fencing, buy outbuildings for lambing and bring in llamas to act as guardians for sheep flocks.
Chief scientific advisor to the Lynx UK Trust, Dr Paul O'Donoghue told The Telegraph: “There are some really exciting ideas from other countries, such as guardian animals like llamas,” said chief scientific advisor to the Trust, Dr Paul O'Donoghue.
“We've seen these successfully used in the Scottish Highlands keeping off foxes, and in an American study they reduced sheep kills from dogs and coyotes by 66 per cent; half of those farms saw predation stop entirely.
“Those are astounding results, I'm amazed we don't already see them widely in use; we might be able to reduce all sheep predation by two thirds, just by providing farmers with llamas.”
The Trust has also promised to pay compensation to farmers for any sheep killed by lynx.
However, farming union NFU Scotland has labelled lynx reintroduction 'sensationalist and ill-conceived'. The union has called for a 'sensible and proportionate' management of wildlife.
