Years of waiting: Finja to build up lynx population

Animals - Years of waiting: Finja to build up lynx population

As soon as the transport box was opened, lynx cat Finja scurried off into the snowy northern Black Forest. With the release of the first female in Baden-Württemberg, the establishment of a lynx population can begin. Agriculture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU) said on Friday: "This should be the starting signal today."

According to the ministry, there are currently five male lynx, known as Kuder, in the southwest. Three of them live in the Black Forest. "Now we need female animals so that a lynx population can develop," explained Hauk. This is a new chapter in species conservation in Baden-Württemberg. "We have been waiting 30 years for the reintroduction. So it's about time."

In eight weeks, the breeding season will begin. Looking at one of the Kuder in the northern Black Forest, Hauk said: "Let's see what Toni can still do." Ten females are needed for a stable population. The next release into the wild is not yet planned.

Cat with an international mission

According to the information provided, the project is also important for a transnational lynx population in Central Europe. The female animals do not travel far from their birthplace, as Micha Herdtfelder from the Forest Research Institute (FVA) Baden-Württemberg explained. "This is why lynx populations can hardly expand spatially and occupy what is actually the most suitable habitat." Or in Hauk's words: "The males are much more willing to migrate, the females have to be helped along."

According to the ministry, there are lynx populations in the Swiss Jura, the Palatinate Forest and the Vosges Mountains as a result of reintroduction projects. They are to be connected by lynxes in the Black Forest.

Brush ears and a hunger for deer

In this country, lynxes are the largest cats with a head-torso length of around 80 to 120 centimetres and a shoulder height of up to 80 centimetres. They can be easily distinguished from other cat species by their tufted ears. The spotted coat tends to be reddish to yellow-brown in summer and gray-brown in winter.

According to the Baden-Württemberg Wildlife Portal, a lynx weighs up to 30 kilograms. The animals are solitary, need a lot of space and are mainly nocturnal. As pure carnivores, they feed on everything from mice to red deer, their main prey being roe deer. According to the information, the mating season runs from February to April. On average, a lynx cat has two kittens.

A lot of work preceded the reintroduction of Finja. A lynx working group was founded in 2004. It reportedly ensured that hunters, forest owners, animal keepers and species conservationists came to a common denominator.

State master hunter Jörg Friedmann explained: "Wild species in particular, which are currently unable to exploit their habitat potential in the state, need our support." Moritz Klose from the WWF organization emphasized: "The new project brings us a good step closer to the goal of Europe-wide networked lynx populations." This is because it is extremely important for the long-term survival of the species that individual populations network with each other. "An important gap will be closed with a stable population in Baden-Württemberg in the future."

Good genes and a significant name

Finja is two and a half years old and, according to the ministry, comes from a game reserve in Thuringia. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the lynx cat was prepared for release in the northern Black Forest: She was kept away from human noises and influences.

The fact that it was chosen is due to its DNA and character. Or - as the ministry puts it: "According to genetic and behavioral ecology studies, the lynx cat met all the requirements for release into the wild in the Black Forest."

Johannes Enssle, state chairman of the Nabu nature conservation association, explained: "The name Finja roughly means the beautiful, the bright one and fits the young lynx lady, who will be the first to turn the heads of the cows in the state." As soon as she had disappeared into the forest, representatives of the project partners congratulated her. According to director Matthias Reinschmidt, lynxes are to be bred for release into the wild at Karlsruhe Zoo in the future.

Nabu species conservation officer Alexandra Ickes emphasized that breeding alone is not enough. "Lynx need undisturbed, natural forests. Their habitats must be connected via safe routes through wildlife corridors and green bridges. Otherwise the animals could all too soon be lying dead in a ditch." BUND Baden-Württemberg referred in particular to the Autobahn 5 and the Rheintalbahn, where crossing opportunities need to be created. Not much has been done since 2014, according to state director Martin Bachhofer. "This should change as quickly as possible if the lynx population in Central Europe is to be sustainably strengthened."

The head of the state nature conservation association emphasized that the project had come about because both parliamentary groups had provided the state government with money from their own funds. "In times of tight budgets, this cannot be taken for granted," explained Gerhard Bronner.

Numerous photos and secret love

The FVA has already collected more than 1000 lynx records in the southwest with the lynx monitoring program launched in 2004. A large part of this is due to very intensive photo trap monitoring in the Upper Danube Valley. More than a dozen different male lynxes have been identified.

However, it is highly unlikely that Finja, her potential partners or even any lynx offspring will be seen. Lynx live in seclusion and encounters with them are very rare. "It is therefore absolutely unique to be able to observe lynx in the wild," the ministry said. "The development of the future lynx population will therefore largely take place in secret."

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