Ludvík Kunc was a Czech zoologist, publicist and artist. He worked mostly with lynx but also with other large carnivores. He advocated the capture and delivery of live lynxes from Slovakia for translocations to several European countries as part of reintroduction programs in the 70s and 80s. As part of his work at the Ostrava Zoo, he provided quarantine and veterinary examinations for lynxes and mediated their delivery to the release sites. Ludvík Kunc was an expert on the life of lynx, he monitored their daily behavior, hunting habits and nature in the Beskydy Mountains, where he tracked them for hundreds of kilometers and protected them.
Lynx art by Ludvik Kunc, a motive on the project T-shirts. Photo: LIFE Lynx
Through his work and activities, he was able to inspire generations of followers and arouse interest among them in the protection and study of the life of large carnivores, not only in Slovakia but also abroad. LIFE Lynx project continues his work and legacy with younger generations of lynx trappers from Slovakia that were inspired by his work.
At the beginning of our project, we filmed Mr. Kunc for a documentary film Path of the Lynx, and prepared a short film Hunter stories – The Lynx Catchers, where two Slovak lynx catchers, Štefan Zatroch and Ludvík Kunc describe how they have worked closely as a well-tuned team for more than 20 years to help recovery lynx populations in Europe.
LIFE Lynx project team is honored to have met and worked with this legendary man and will continue his work in the future.