Bavaria’s first rescue station for lynxes has been built in the Bavarian Forest National Park. Injured and orphaned animals from the wild can be cared for there, says Marco Heurich, head of the national park monitoring and outdoor animal areas department. The facility, financed by the Ministry of the Environment, has been ready for occupancy since October, but no lynx has yet been moved in.
According to the national park administration, in recent years there have been four to five lynx orphans in the Bavarian Forest alone. Until now, lynxes in need of help had to be taken to a rescue center in Lower Saxony. The new station in the national park consists of two large animal boxes and an outdoor enclosure for the animal residents.
Because the wild animals are to be released back into the wild after successful care, it is important that they have as little contact with people as possible. This is guaranteed in the reception station, says Heurich.
The animals cared for in the sanctuary could play an important role in nature, says the expert. For example, when establishing so-called stepping stone populations. These are small groups of animals that are established between large populations in order to better network the large populations with each other. As examples, Heurich cites a lynx population in the Bohemian Forest and another in the Harz Mountains/Northern Hesse. These have no connection with each other. Over time, this would lead to inbreeding effects and loss of genetic variability. Stepping stone populations are currently being established in the Thuringian Forest and the Steinwald to enable the exchange of individuals and thus genetic information.
The lynx is the largest cat living in Europe. Along with the wolf and the bear, it is one of the three largest predators. In Germany the animal is one of the specially protected species.