Zoo hopes new lynx will be mate for Flaviu

DARTMOOR Zoo has welcomed the arrival of a new lynx to the site, and it hopes she will be a love interest for the attraction's iconic male lynx, Flaviu.

Emily, a seven-year-old Carpathian lynx, has arrived at Dartmoor Zoo, near Plympton, from Karlsruhe Zoo in Germany.

David Gibson, Dartmoor Zoo's chief executive, said the new recruit is a "very beautiful cat with lovely markings". He added that he hopes she can form a breeding pair with Flaviu.

It is not the first time that the zoo at Sparkwell has tried to find the infamous Flaviu a mate. Back in 2016, the big cat escaped the zoo and spent three weeks in the wild before finally being captured.

Months later, Flaviu was introduced to eight-year-old Willow, from Chessington Zoo, in a bid to try to get him to settle down. Now, keepers hope Emily can be his new love interest.