EU-funded research is trying to find out Where are the best places to return items? lynxes to natural habitatwhen bred in captivity or previously captured for any purpose. The recovery of lynx populations is a priority not only for Spain, where the good results of its efforts set an international example, but for the entire EU.
Last spring, naturalists captured an adult male lynx in the Romanian Carpathians and released him into Croatia’s national park called Plitvice Lakes. The measure was part of a strategy to increase the genetic diversity of the endangered lynx population in Croatia and Slovenia.
I’m looking for a new home
Released animal with telemetry tracking collar spent several weeks establishing his new territory. He first moved east, towards the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, then traveled more than 100 kilometers across Croatia, towards the Slovenian border, and finally – and hesitantly – returned to Plitvice to settle there.
Professor Miha Krofel, a wildlife management expert from Slovenia, said this data Learn more about the behavior of bobcats after release. The duration of the project, called LYNXONTHEMOVE, is two years and will continue until September 2024.
“We are trying to understand the most important factors affecting this situation. Deciding whether the animal will remain in the release area or be moved to another area“said Krofel, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Biotechnology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Although lynx conservation efforts in Europe have been increasingly successful over the past two decades, the six-month survival rate of translocated carnivores remains at just 66%, according to recent research. And only 37% of animals show reproductive behavior.
In some cases, relocated animals move away from the designated area.
Worrying trends
Lynxes have excellent eyesight and hearing, making them skilled hunters. But as a result of widespread hunting, inbreeding, habitat destruction and lack of prey, This animal disappeared from most of Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.. In Croatia and Slovenia, for example, until recently there were only 100 to 150 animals left.
Although conservation efforts since the 1970s have helped reverse the general trend, lynx populations are still declining in some countries and regions of Europe.
“In general, the numbers are slowly increasing,” says Krofel. “But in some places the population continues to declinefor example in Austria, North Macedonia or the mountainous regions of France,” says Krofel.
This expert has partnered with: Mariano Rodríguez Recio, Spanish expert on the subjectfrom Rey Juan Carlos University in Spain. Both draw on data from reintroduction programs of the Iberian lynx in Spain and the Eurasian lynx in Croatia and Slovenia. Using this information, the two researchers hope to gain new insights into the behavior of the released animals.
Publication methods
Extremely difficult to detect in the wild due to their speed, camouflage, and tendency to be active primarily at night, these medium-sized wild cats are easier to reintroduce than other carnivores such as wolves or bears.
Even if, success depends on complex issues such as release method. An animal may be released directly from the transport box or placed first in the “entry” enclosure as a transition.
such as environmental factors forest cover, elevation and topography They can also influence the movements of the animals and determine the success of the entire operation.
Additionally, the LYNXONTHEMOVE team will evaluate the impact of human infrastructure. For example, roads are significant obstacles for animals, as bobcats frequently use dirt roads to search for information and communicate with each other. “They use the roads as a kind of information conduit, almost like their Facebook,” says Krofel.
Regional wars
According to scientists, interactions between different animals They can also play an important role in the solution process. For example, a male lynx may leave an area where another male has already established a territory, and a female lynx may do the same if she detects the arrival of another female earlier.
The team’s main data sources are: Cameras with infrared sensors and telemetry collars It is placed on every released animal and other lynxes.
Aided by Recio’s experience from the successful recovery of the Iberian lynx in Spain, the project uses the latest analysis and simulations of the animals’ movements. predict your behavior in a particular area depends on environmental factors.
“Our results should give conservation project managers a better idea of making a very important decision: where are the best places to release animals and how to do it,” Krofel said. says.
………….
Contact address of the environmental department:[email protected]