Activities - Life lynx

LIFE Lynx Final Conference successfully wrapped up

Maja Sever — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:36:42 +0000

This week, the largest ever European lynx conference was convened in Zadar, hosted by the oldest Croatian university, where more than 150 scientists and experts dedicated to lynx research and protection came together. The conference was organized by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb in collaboration with the BIOM association in the scope of the LIFE Lynx project. At the beginning, Professor Slaven Zjalić, the vicerector of the University of Zadar, extended a gracious welcome to the participants, joined by Rok Černe, the coordinator of the LIFE Lynx project, and Associate Professor Magda Sindičić the coordinator of the LIFE Lynx project implementation in Croatia.

Magda Sindičić, welcomed the Conference participants. Photo: Melani Glavinič, LIFE Lynx

Through a series of presentations on activities and results, the partners showcased how the LIFE Lynx project successfully halted the extinction of the lynx population in the Dinarides through international efforts. This achievement was made possible by the collaboration of scientists with hunters, foresters, managers of protected areas, and the local inhabitants. The most significant outcome of the project’s implementation is the translocation of 18 lynxes from Slovakia and Romania into Croatia and Slovenia. The exceptionally successful project implementation is substantiated by multiple recorded reproductions of translocated lynxes . Recently, it was confirmed that one of the translocated males, lynx Goru, has already become a grandfather.

Guest lecturer Dr. Seth M. Wilson, director of the non-governmental organization BlackFoot Challenge in the United States, stated: ‘’From my perspective, the heart of the success of this project was the commitment by LIFE partners to work with local people and communities who share the same habitat with lynx.’’

LIFE Lynx final conference participants in front of the Zadar University building. Photo: Melani Glavinić, LIFE Lynx

On the second day, participants visited Paklenica National Park, where one of the reintroduced lynxes, the male Alojzije, has established its territory. The warm welcome from the Park and the stunning natural surroundings allowed for a full day of enjoyment at the visitor center and guided walks to Manita peć cave, the forester’s lodge, and the Paklenica mountain hut.

Field trip to Paklenica National Park, where translocated lynx Alojzije was released into nature. Photo: Maja Sever, LIFE Lynx

“For the past six years, the entire team of the LIFE Lynx project has dedicated exceptional efforts to secure the future of lynxes in this part of Europe. We are grateful to everyone who supported us, especially all the collaborators who participated in data collection, as well as the public and the media who cheered for our reintroduced lynxes. With this conference, we conclude and celebrate our collective work. We believe that in recent years, we have demonstrated how the successful management of a protected species can be achieved through a combination of scientifically grounded activities and respect for the interests of all stakeholders. Now, we hope that all institutions responsible for the protection of lynxes and their habitats will assume their share of responsibility and continue successful management based on the foundations we have laid,” stated Associate Professor Magda Sindičić.

The post LIFE Lynx Final Conference successfully wrapped up first appeared on Life lynx.

The post LIFE Lynx Final Conference successfully wrapped up appeared first on Life lynx.

We are looking for Tris, Lenka and Zois with camera traps in Gorenjska

Maja Sever — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 14:19:54 +0000

Together with the local hunters we set up 18 camera traps in the area of Jelovica and Pokljuka to find out what is the status of lynxes Tris, Lenka and Zois. Their GPS collars have stopped working in the past few months so we do not know exactly where the lynxes are. All three lynxes were recorded on our camera traps within the last camera trapping survey, but their whereabouts remain unknown since then. Camera traps will show us which of the lynxes are still present within their territories and direct us to choose suitable locations for recaptures. We aim to replace their GPS collars with functional ones, to follow their movement in the future, which will improve our understanding of the establishment of the stepping stone population in the Alps and also enable us to monitor the reproduction, predation, mating and denning behavior of these Alpine lynxes.

Setting the camera with Triglav National Park ranger. (Photo: Tilen Hvala)

Setting the camera trap in Jelovica. (Photo: Aleš Pičulin)

The post We are looking for Tris, Lenka and Zois with camera traps in Gorenjska first appeared on Life lynx.

The post We are looking for Tris, Lenka and Zois with camera traps in Gorenjska appeared first on Life lynx.

A.1 Live-capture of Lynx in Slovakia

lynx — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 15:12:47 +0000

Assessment and Selection of Sites and Lynx for Live-capture from the Carpathian Source Population in Slovakia

The population of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the Carpathian Mountains is considered to be one of the best preserved and largest in Europe. It was the source of lynx for several reintroduction projects between the 1960s and 1990s. Although some of the re-established populations initially prospered, most of them have since stagnated or even declined and suffer from inbreeding. Reinforcement is therefore needed as a genetic remedy to assure their long-term viability.

Many of the translocated individuals came from Slovakia, which encompasses c. 17% of the Carpathians and is considered to be a source for reinforcements and further reintroductions. The removal of individuals, even for conservation purposes, requires adequate surveying of the source population. The goal of this action is to identify the most suitable areas and micro-locations for live-capture of animals in Slovakia to reinforce the Dinaric – SE Alpine lynx population. Results achieved in this action will help determine how many lynx can be removed from each area without compromising the population.

The overall lynx population in Slovakia is stable and is considered robust enough to support the removal of individuals for the reinforcement effort. However, lynx capturing is not an easy task because of their ecology, secretive behavior and low population density. Capture sites must be selected using experience and data gathered from camera trapping, telemetry and snow tracking. These data will help us identify the best micro-locations for capture; non-invasive genetic sampling will help us target the specific animals to be captured for reinforcement purposes.

Project outputs:

A.2 Live-capture of Lynx in Romania

lynx — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 15:12:22 +0000

Assessment and Selection of Sites and Lynx for Live-capture from the Carpathian Source Population in Romania

The goal of this action is to identify the most suitable areas and micro-locations for live-capture of animals in Romania to reinforce the Dinaric – SE Alpine lynx population. Data collected in this action will also enable us to determine how many lynx can be removed from each area without compromising the population. The first field activities will begin in 2017, one year prior to capture, and will be carried out more intensively on the first and second year of the project in the Eastern Romanian Carpathians. Current information indicates there is a stable lynx population in this area. We will collect data on lynx distribution, abundance, movements, and activity using camera trapping, non-invasive genetic sampling, and snow tracking. Analysis of gathered data will provide reliable estimates of local lynx abundance and density in order to select the most suitable areas for live-capture. We will choose three capture areas based on the information gathered during the project.

Project outputs

Activities - Life lynx

LIFE Lynx Final Conference successfully wrapped up

We are looking for Tris, Lenka and Zois with camera traps in Gorenjska

A.1 Live-capture of Lynx in Slovakia

Assessment and Selection of Sites and Lynx for Live-capture from the Carpathian Source Population in Slovakia

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A.2 Live-capture of Lynx in Romania

Assessment and Selection of Sites and Lynx for Live-capture from the Carpathian Source Population in Romania

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