Last month we reported on recollaring female Petra, where we confirmed her pregnancy through an ultrasound inspection. A month later, we are now happy to confirm that Petra has successfully given birth to two heathy kittens. At 4 weeks old, both kittens seem to be in good physical condition, weighing 1.1 and 1.2 kg. In order to gather more information about the kittens, we collected genetic samples, which will help us determine the sex of the kittens, allow us to track them in the future when they will disperse, and also show who their father is. During this year’s mating season, we observed the presence of two males within Petra’s home-range. One of them is Klif, a collared remnant male who shares most of her home range with, and the other is the non-collared son of Goru and Teja. It is probably more likely that Klif is the father as she has previously mated with him during the last two mating seasons, but there is a possibility that Goru already might have become a grandfather. We will continue to closely monitor Petra and the status of the kittens.
Lynx Petra’s kittens. Photo. Lan Hočevar, LIFE Lynx