August 7, 2026, the West Pomeranian Nature Society received information about a dead lynx found in the Kokna River near Złocieniec.
On the site, it was found that the animal died as a result of a gunshot.
On August 10, 2026, we informed about her death. At that time, we only had a suspicion that the lynx could have had cubs. She was at an age at which it was extremely likely, but we had no confirmation. Nevertheless, there were recordings from last year from camera traps in which a lynx without a collar led its young. The documentation came from the area where the female was shot.
On August 13, 2026, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Drawsko Pomorskie initiated an investigation into the killing of an animal.
On August 17, 2026, veterinarian Roman Lizoń performed an autopsy on the killed lynx. The results are unambiguous: Lynx at the age of about 4 years – was the mother of at least three kittens
Fragments of the medical and veterinary certificate: The autopsy report showed that „in the right corner of the uterus, a physiological lesion from the placenta was revealed, while in the left corner of the uterus there are two discolorations from the placenta. This proves that the cat gave birth to three kittens about 3 months ago. The mammary gland bears traces of remodeling, indicating lactation and feeding of the kittens.” ” During the autopsy, an X-ray scan was performed, as a result of which numerous very small foreign bodies with a metal density were found.”
Comment of the West Pomeranian Nature Society:
The mother of three kittens, who were completely dependent on her at the time of her death, died.
We do not know what happened to the young lynxes, how long they waited for their mother’s return. We only know that the lynx did not return to them and by the time her body was found, it was too late to search. The lynx died immediately from a shot in the chest. We do not know if the shots also reached her young. If not – deprived of care and food, they died of starvation or became victims of other predators.
It can be said that in the legal sense, one lynx died.
From our point of view, we have lost a breeding female and three kittens from the lynx generation born in the wild. Along with them, the rebuilding lynx population in northern Poland suffered.
For the West Pomeranian Nature Society, this is a particularly painful loss. For years, we have been working to return the lynx to the forests of northern Polish. Every animal matters. Each individual is extremely valuable for the restoration of the population. And the female, who led the three young, was priceless.
We cannot accept a situation in which the killing of a protected lynx will be treated as another case of fatal human contact with a wild animal. It was an irreversible blow to the recovering population. And that is why we will strive to ensure that the case of the death of this lynx is thoroughly explained.
The investigation in this case is being conducted by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Drawsko Pomorskie.
__________________________
The activities are carried out by the West Pomeranian Nature Society as part of the LIFE LYNX PL LT DE Project „Expanding the range of lynx populations in northern Poland”. Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the awarding authority can be held responsible for them.
Co-financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and the WWF Poland Foundation.
The project partners are:
West Pomeranian Nature Society
WWF Poland,
Spychowo Forest District,
State Forests
Ekosistemų apsaugos centras
Rewilding Oder Delta
#LIFEprogramme
#LIFEproject
#LIFEAmplifier
Polish 
English