From 8th to 12th October project team visited another EU LIFE project LIFE Luchs Pfarzerwald in Palatinate Forest (Germany), where project leader Sylvia Idelberger and her team are making efforts to reintroduce the lynx. The lynx in Palatinate Forest was extinct in 19th century, and teams from Stiftung Natur und Umwelt Rheinland – Pfalz and other project partners are now bringing it back. They started their work in 2015 and have successfully reintroduced 13 lynx until now. The last two lynx, Alfi and Wrano, arrived this September. Their experience with reintroduction is very valuable for our project, and we are very grateful for sharing it with us. They presented us how they transport the animals, telemetry work and how they track lynx with specially trained scent hounds. We also visited their lynx rescue station where they have the facilities for healing injured lynx. On the other hand, we presented our experience with lynx management and conservation in the Dinaric Mountains, and research that is done on lynx and other large carnivores in Slovenia also in framework of other LIFE projects. We are very happy that we were able to visit our “sister” project in Germany and we are looking forward for good cooperation with them in the future.
Participants of the visit to Palatinate Forest. Photo: LIFE Lynx
Michael Back tracking lynx tracks with scent hound Bodo. Photo: LIFE Lynx
Visit to the lynx rescue station. Photo: LIFE Lynx
Michael Back demonstrating telemetry work. Photo: LIFE Lynx
Foggy, but still magnificent view over Palatinate Forest. Photo: LIFE Lynx