As part of the LIFE Lynx project, we have so far released four animals into the Croatian part of the Dinaric Mts: lynx Doru, Alojzije, Pino and Emil. According to data from telemetry collars, only two lynx have been successfully integrated into the population. The lynx Alojzije has inhabited the area of southern Velebit where he continuously circulates since May 2020, while the lynx Emil, released in May 2021, is still searching for territory in the area of northern Velebit. Lynx Doru moved to Slovenia after his release in 2019, where he established a territory. Half a year later, his collar stops sending dana and since then he has not been recorded on photo traps, while another lynx has taken over its territory, indicating that he is most likely no longer alive. As for the lynx Pino, his collar unfortunately did not send any location after his release on northern Velebit in 2020. He has never been recorded on photo traps and his fate remains unknown.
In addition to the lynx released in Croatia, we have another new resident who arrived as part of the LIFE Lynx project – the lynx Boris. Boris was released in May 2020 in Slovenia and soon crossed the border into Croatia. In October 2020, he established a permanent territory in the area of Mala Kapela where he resides to this day. Boris’s collar stopped sending GPS positions in March this year, but the VHF collar system is still working, with which we can locate it. By the end of the year, we plan to recapture Boris in order to replace the collar with a new one.
Apart from Boris, lynx Niko also visited Croatia this summer. Niko is last year’s cub of the Carpathian lynx Goru, released in Slovenia in 2019, and the domestic lynx Teja. At the age of 8 months, in December 2020, Niko separated from his mother and set out in search of his own territory. This year, Niko decided to make a summer trip to Croatia and stayed for 2 months in the area of Mala Kapela near the lynx Boris. At the end of August, Niko returned to Slovenia to the area of Kočevski Rog, where he continues his search for permanent territory.
