First offspring in the Thuringian Forest!
27.08.2024
A female lynx with her offspring was recently recorded by a wildlife camera in the southern Thuringian Forest. The unexpected lynx offspring is the first proven lynx reproduction in the Thuringian Forest for over 150 years and a pleasant surprise for the entire project team. Together with the reintroduced lynxes, the young lynxes are laying the first foundations for a stable lynx population in the Thuringian Forest.
Environment Minister Bernhard Stengele commented: ‘I am delighted with every step forward in this pioneering European project. With a stable lynx population in the Thuringian Forest, we are getting closer step by step to our goal of a well-networked lynx population in Germany and Central Europe.’
The photo of the female lynx with her cubs was taken in the area bordering Bavaria and was handed over to our project by the Schönbrunn Forestry Office in mid-August. ‘We are very pleased about the unexpected lynx reproduction!’ says Jürgen Boddenberg, Head of Forest Nature Conservation at ThüringenForst. ‘It shows that our forests offer the lynx an excellent habitat. And proves that the timing of our project is well chosen to support the tentative beginnings of the Thuringian-Bavarian lynx population through targeted reintroduction.’
The origin of the lynx is not yet known. She probably migrated to the Thuringian Forest via the Franconian Forest. In 2016-2018, two abandoned young lynx were relocated from the Bavarian Forest to the Steinwald in northern Bavaria, where they have successfully reproduced.
