Practical training for Lynx commissioners
13.12.2023
As representatives in the hunting community, the project team, in collaboration with the Competence Center for Wolf, Beaver, and Lynx of the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, has trained interested members of the Thuringian Hunting Association to serve as voluntary Lynx Commissioners.
These individuals not only serve as points of contact for questions regarding this strictly protected and legally hunted wildlife species but also accept reports of lynx sightings and can be called upon when a dead wild animal is found, possibly killed by a lynx.
Following the theoretical training on carcass inspection held in March 2023, there has now been a refresher on theoretical knowledge, as well as practical carcass inspection, using a deer that was reported and provided to us as a potential lynx kill.
Similar to forensic experts at a crime scene, the Lynx Commissioners practiced analyzing all evidence (footprints, bite marks, feeding characteristics, etc.) and attempted to find hairs or collect fresh saliva samples from the carcass to determine which animal or even which individual was involved.
The examination of potential lynx kills is a crucial part of the monitoring effort, in which the Thuringian Hunting Association (LJV) actively supports the Lynx Thuringia project.
Hunters in the Thuringian Forest will find the contact information for the Lynx Commissioners responsible for their region on the website of the Thuringian Hunting Association in the future.
