We already started with last season of lynx capturing in the Carpathians, and this year preparations in Romania began early. In October, the team began repairing the box traps already placed in the field and looking for new possible locations, in case some of the box-traps need to be relocated. Opportunistic camera-trap monitoring will continue this year too, with cameras being set at the box-traps as well as some key locations where lynx were detected. The camera-trap data will provide important insights into the status of the local lynx population following all the translocations that took place within the LIFE Lynx project.
Between November 8 and 18, part of the Slovenian project team has joined the partners in Romania. During the visit, together with the ACDB team and hunters from Romsilva, we visited and re-evaluated all the existing box-traps, we disassembled those that were not visited by lynx in the past years, checked several new locations in the Western Carpathian Mountains, and set photo traps to monitor potential locations for lynx capturing. As the LIFE Lynx project will end in March 2024, this is the last lynx-trapping season for the project in Romania. The trapping season will start in January 2023, when the Romanian team will activate the box traps.
Together with a hunter from Romsilva, we checked the best lynx-trapping locations. Photo: Maruša Prostor, LIFE Lynx
Discussion with a local hunter, about where the lynx was moving. Photo: Maruša Prostor, LIFE Lynx
Some box-traps were set at remote locations, so we had to make an improvised footbridge to get to that location. Photo: Maruša Prostor, LIFE Lynx
Changing the old box trap material. Photo: Teodora Sin, ACDB
The refurbished box-trap waiting for the lynx. Photo: Teodora Sin, ACDB