Scottish Conservatives replaced by stuffed toy at election hustings event debating rewilding issues

A stuffed toy representing “one of Scotland’s missing species” was used to stand in for missing Scottish Conservatives at a recent Holyrood elections hustings event in Perthshire.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance held the first ever hustings dedicated to debating rewilding issues at Pitlochry Festival Theatre to mark World Rewilding Day on Friday, March 20.

Introducing the final panellist – where a Conservative representative would have sat – the evening’s chairperson Jennifer Reoch said the Eurasian lynx was “notoriously shy and rests undercover during the day to avoid people”.

The scene was reminiscent of the famous Have I Got News for You episode when Roy Hattersley was replaced by a tub of lard. In June 1993 panellist Paul Merton was memorably joined by a tub of lard after the Labour MP reportedly pulled out of doing the BBC show at the last minute for the third time.

The stuffed toy took the place of the Scottish Conservatives at the event. LDRS

According to the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, which organised Friday’s election hustings in Pitlochry ahead of the May 7 elections, “the Scottish Conservatives declined to attend despite multiple invites.”

According to Steve Micklewright, co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and chief executive of charity Trees for Life, The Rewilding Nation: Hope for Nature Husting event was held in Perthshire “due to it being home to the most rewilding spaces in Scotland”.

Alongside the lynx on the panel were: Scottish Green Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell, Reform Central Scotland MSP Graham Simpson, Scottish Labour candidate for Perthshire North Angela Bailey, SNP Stirling councillor Gene Maxwell and Scottish Liberal Democrat Edinburgh Central candidate Charles Dundas.

After introducing the panel, TV and radio presenter Jennifer Reoch – who was chairing the hustings – told the audience: “Unfortunately, the Conservative Party were unable to send a representative this evening, which leads me to my final panel member to represent one of Scotland’s missing species, the Eurasian lynx.

“It’s a medium-sized cat with tufted ears and a short tail. It is notoriously shy and rests undercover during the day to avoid people.”

A spokesperson said: “Immediate action on marine protections, how rewilding supports local economies, space for nature alongside development and lynx reintroduction were hot topics.”

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: “Unfortunately, a representative from our party was unable to attend this event.

“The Scottish Conservatives recognise the importance of protecting Scotland’s natural environment and believe that rewilding should proceed with community consent and in a way that does not affect the ability of farmers to continue to produce high-quality food.”

The event was livestreamed and is available to watch on YouTube.