Project Update

Press release from the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Saxony, Germany, 18 March 2026:

Since the start of the year, there have been increasing reports of a lynx in the region between Freiberg, Flöha and the German-Czech border in the central Ore Mountains. The animal had been captured on camera traps, among other things, and analysis of the wildlife camera photos revealed a coat pattern similar to that of the male lynx Juno, whose trail was lost about a year and a half ago in the Eibenstock forest district in the Western Ore Mountains.

Finally, a lynx track in the snow near Flaje, close to the border with Saxony, from which a urine sample was also obtained, provided certainty. Genetic analysis enabled the animal to be identified: it is unequivocally the male lynx Juno, who was released into the wild on 18 March 2024 as the first lynx under the "RELynx Saxony" project, as the Saxony State Environment Agency announced today in Dresden.

The fact that Juno has been found again after such a long time is a minor sensation for everyone involved in the project and for lynx monitoring in Saxony. The last clear evidence of Juno came in September 2024 from a camera trap in the Eibenstock forest district. Following his release, Juno had remained within a small area of the region. It is unclear what prompted the two-year-old lynx to move on. As a rule, lynxes stay where other lynxes are already present. In Juno’s case, these were the two released female lynxes, Alva and Nova, whose territories overlapped with Juno’s.

If Juno remains in the central and eastern Ore Mountains, he is unlikely to contribute to further offspring in the small core population in the western Ore Mountains during this year’s mating season from February to April. Yet diverse mating between lynx is desirable in order to pass on the genes of as many released animals as possible to the next generation and thus preserve genetic diversity within the population.

Here is a brief overview of the other released lynx in Saxony:

• "Nova" migrated to Thuringia in early 2025. Camera trap images confirm that she is still in the Jena area.
• "Alva" mated with ‘Chapo’ in spring 2025 and gave birth to two cubs, a male and a female. She continues to roam extensively through her territory in the Eibenstock region. She was last captured on a wildlife camera on 1 March with her two cubs, who have now grown into fine specimens. All three animals appear to be in good health.
• "Chapo" is also regularly recorded roaming extensively in the Eibenstock region. The latest camera trap image dates from 9 March. Noteworthy are wildlife camera images from January showing Chapo together with Alva. This may be a sign of the mating season. Outside the mating season, lynx tend to be solitary. The female lynx take care of rearing the cubs.
• "Charlie" is still wearing a GPS transmitter collar and regularly transmits data from the Czech Republic. He spends most of his time west of Sankt Joachimsthal on the Hradiště military training area.
• "Freya" migrated towards Zwönitz a few weeks after her release in late summer 2025 and remained there until at least the end of December in the wooded areas east of Zwönitz. Wildlife camera footage from the hunting association confirms this.

In Saxony, a total of seven lynx have been released into the wild in the Eibenstock forest district of the Western Ore Mountains since spring 2024. One of the animals is no longer alive. The lynx ‘Anton’ was killed in a road accident just a few weeks after his release. Two further lynx are due to be released in late summer this year.

The “RELynx Saxony Project” was launched in 2022 by the Free State of Saxony. As part of this, up to 20 Carpathian lynx (Lynx lynx carpathicus) are to be released into the Ore Mountains over a period of several years. The aim is to establish a lynx population which, in conjunction with other lynx populations in Germany and Europe, will help to conserve this rare and endangered species in the long term.

The rediscovery of Juno highlights the importance of the volunteer network of lynx observers and the German-Czech exchange of information regarding the status and protection of lynx. The RELynx project team therefore also includes a Czech wildlife biologist who carries out monitoring in the neighbouring country using wildlife cameras and maintains contact with local hunters and foresters.