Lynx Norik arrived at the Kalkalpen National Park
10.12.2022
On Dec. 10, the Thuringian lynx “Norik” was successfully released into the wild in the Kalkalpen National Park in Austria. Norik was born in May 2021, together with two siblings, in the BUND wildcat village Hütscheroda. He is the first lynx from the offspring of the wildcat village that is now allowed to spend a life in the wild.
In the Limestone Alps, people have been waiting in vain for offspring for years. However, this would be very important for the future of the small population, which currently consists of only five lynx. The only male in the area seems to be incapable of reproducing. Now, Norik is to contribute to securing the population in the Limestone Alps. “To create a perspective for the lynx in Central Europe, you have to think across borders. We are therefore very happy that within the framework of our project, we can also support the efforts to sustain the lynx population in the Austrian Limestone Alps,” Katrin Vogel, Managing Director of the Wildcat Village Hütscheroda, is pleased to say.
The large, near-natural lynx enclosure in Hütscheroda will soon be expanded to include a coordination enclosure. There, lynx intended for reintroduction can grow up under near-natural conditions and with minimal contact with humans. From 2024, lynx from this enclosure will also be released in the Thuringian Forest.
