| The Harzer Lynx Project is actually a flagship story for wildlife conservation. Since the first ear-tufted lynxes were released there 25 years ago, the population has developed well. In and around the Harz highlands, an estimated 50 to 60 adult lynxes roam, according to project leader Ole Anders. In addition, there is an unknown number of cubs.
Several lynxes have already left the Harz and expanded their range into surrounding areas. Sightings have been reported in the Weser Uplands, in Eichsfeld in Thuringia, and in North Hesse.
Unlike wolves, lynxes are not facing culling or quotas. Although they occasionally prey on a sheep, they have so far been well received by hunters and rural communities. Tourism operators are now marketing the predators as mascots of the region.
Nevertheless, it recently seemed that the Harz lynxes could go extinct in the medium term. The population is not connected with the other smaller lynx populations in the Bavarian Forest and the Palatinate. Therefore, inbreeding and degeneration threaten.
Situation for Harz lynxes “increasingly dramatic”
Anders describes the situation as “increasingly dramatic” and shows pictures of a lynx without ears from the Franco-Swiss border. There are also many lynxes there with heart abnormalities. “This population is 25 years older than the Harz population and is not connected to others. In essence, we can see from this example where we will be in 25 years if nothing changes.”
But something is happening. Zoos, environmental groups, and research institutes in several countries have launched new reintroduction and breeding programs. The Harz National Park is participating in the initiative. At the beginning of August, Anders and his team managed to bring a male lynx, i.e., a male animal, from the Alps to the Harz. The six-year-old lynx had been living in a zoo in French-speaking Switzerland; he has since been relocated to a release enclosure for lynxes near Bad Harzburg.
Since the beginning of October, the future breeding pair is now complete: From Ukraine, the seven-year-old female lynx Rikki arrived at the National Park. After a 30-day quarantine, the animal will move into the enclosure with her would-be partner and produce offspring there. The hoped-for offspring in turn should be released and, through mating with other lynxes, safeguard the population’s numbers.
Departure problems for female lynx Rikki
The transport of Rikki by a Dutch specialist company took three days, according to Ole Anders. “That was a nerve-wracking time,” he says. An airlift was impossible due to the war situation in Ukraine, and road transport was very difficult to organize.
First, bureaucratic hurdles had to be overcome and the required documents for the female lynx’s departure obtained; then there were delays at border crossings from Ukraine to Poland and from there to Germany.
Because of problems and language difficulties with customs clearance, hours of phone calls, emails, and Messenger messages were exchanged between the transport company, the Kyiv Zoo, the Harz National Park, and the responsible German veterinary office, according to Anders. It was a “ thriller” for all involved, “until it became clear that Rikki could pass the EU border into Poland and then also the German-Polish border.”
Rikki has not yet produced offspring. After quarantine, she will initially be kept behind a fence from her future partner in the Harz. “For a sniffing session,” says Ole Anders. “If they get along, they will move into a shared enclosure.” Then we must wait. The mating season for lynxes is in spring.
