The West Pomeranian Nature Society has undertaken the task of reintroducing the lynx to northwestern Poland after more than 300 years of the species’ absence from these areas. This task became feasible thanks to the funding obtained under the Operational Program Infrastructure and Environment – project POIS.02.04.00-00-0143/16 „Return of the lynx to northwestern Poland”.
Initially, the project planned to release 20 individuals brought from breeding centers, the wild, and those obtained from its own breeding. However, during its implementation, it turned out that the best chance of bringing a large number of lynxes in a short time was to utilize breeding centers. Thanks to the adopted method, nearly 70 lynxes have been released into the wild in less than 4 years! Selected individuals are qualified to participate in the project based on genetic studies, the results of which must confirm their affiliation with the Baltic population.
After being brought to Poland, the lynxes go to adaptation enclosures, where they undergo training, and after its completion, they are released into the wild through release enclosures. The enclosure system was built as part of the Project’s implementation.
All lynxes are fitted with telemetry collars before being released into the wild, allowing us to monitor them. We pay particular attention to them in the first month after their release to check if they are coping with hunting. If necessary, the Emergency Response Team is activated to respond as needed. We will write about the Emergency Team in the next post.
The first lynx was released in January 2019, and the last one this past Tuesday 😊 In the wild, since the beginning of the reintroduction program, over 30 kittens have already been born, and this year’s birth season is still ongoing!
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