Summary of the project’s activities so far.

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 in these areas. This task has become 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.” The own contribution to the project is covered by WWF Poland, and recently we received additional support from the Intervention Emergency project of the Polish Society for Nature Conservation „Salamandra” from funds allocated for the protection of endangered species by the Biedronka network.

Initially, the project planned to release 20 individuals sourced from breeding centers, the wild, and those obtained from our own breeding. However, during its implementation, it turned out that the best chance of bringing a large number of lynxes in a short time is 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 for participation in the project based on genetic studies, the results of which must confirm their affiliation with the Baltic population.

Since the project has significantly exceeded its original assumptions during its duration, additional financial support is very important. In the photo next to it, you can see a new Mitsubishi L200 off-road vehicle, which makes the work of the field team easier.

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 system of enclosures was built as part of the Project implementation.

All lynxes have telemetry collars fitted before being released into the wild, which allows us to monitor them. We pay particular attention to them in the first month after their release to check how they cope with hunting. If necessary, the Intervention Emergency team steps in. 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, nearly 30 kittens have already been born, and this year’s birth season is still ongoing!