On March 1, 2021, an adult resident female lynx from Kočevsko area was caught in a box trap. The capture was led by the team from Department of Forestry from Biotechnical faculty and assisted by the Slovenia Forest Service team, ZOO Ljubljana and local hunters. After her sedation, the team took all biometric measures and estimated her age between 4 and 5 years old. She was in good physical condition, and weighed 16 kg and at the time of the capture.
This female is a regular guest at our camera traps and so far, we know that some of her territory is on upper Kolpa valley area. She was equipped with the GPS telemetry collar that will enable us to monitor her movements in detail. The team decided to name her Petra, after local mythological legend Peter Klepec from Osilnica valley.
Radio-collaring lynx Petra. Photo: Lan Hočevar
All the time during the sedation the lynx was closely monitored. Photo: Lan Hočevar
Female Petra had one kitten last year, who is slowly getting ready for independence. Now, it is the lynx mating period and Petra was seen together with a local territorial male, so we hope that she will also have kittens this year.
After she was equipped with a telemetry collar, Petra ran back to the forest. Photo: Lan Hočevar