Two more lynxes released into the wild in the Thuringian Forest!
27.08.2024
As part of the species conservation project ‘Lynx Thuringia – Europe’s Lynx Network’, two more lynx were successfully released into the wild in the central Thuringian Forest today. The young lynxes Vreni and Kilian are thus following Frieda and Viorel into the wild, who were reintroduced to this region in May 2024.
Female lynx Vreni, born in spring 2023 at Langenberg Zoo in Switzerland, and male Kilian, from Nuremberg Zoo, come from the European Association for Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) conservation breeding programme for the Carpathian lynx. They grew up in large, near-natural enclosures. In April 2024, the animals arrived at the BUND Wildcat-Village in Hütscheroda and initially moved into a soft-release enclosure specially built for the reintroduction of lynxes. Here they were prepared for life in the wild and their behaviour was thoroughly observed. ‘Both lynx showed a pronounced shyness towards humans right from the start,’ explains Dr Max Boxleitner, lynx expert at WWF Germany, ’after a positive assessment by a panel of experts, they were fitted with GPS collar transmitters at the beginning of August and transferred to our reintroduction enclosure in the Thuringian Forest. The data from the collar transmitters helps us to monitor the animals’ spatial behaviour in the wild.’
The first two reintroductions are important steps on our way to establish a large, stable lynx population between the areas in the Harz Mountains and the Bavarian Forest in the long term. But our work needs to go on: We will keep you up to date on further activities and milestones for the lynx in Thuringia on our website.
