Translocation

On Wednesday evening (15 May), two lynx were released into the wild in the Thuringian Forest as part of the "Luchs Thüringen – Europas Luchse vernetzen" project. The project partners are celebrating this event as a decisive milestone in the reintroduction and networking of lynx populations in Germany and Central Europe. The first two animals to be released into the wild are lynx Frieda and lynx Viorel. Frieda grew up in Germany's first coordination enclosure in Hütscheroda. Viorel is a wild catch from the Romanian Carpathians. Both lynxes were transferred to a reintroduction enclosure in the central Thuringian Forest at the end of April. Two more lynxes from the enclosure will follow Frieda and Viorel into the wild in late summer. The aim is to release up to five lynx into the wild every year for the next four years.

Environment Minister Bernhard Stengele: "This is a pioneering European project with our partners from Romania and the lynx enclosure in Hütscheroda. Our goal is to establish a healthy and stable lynx population in the Thuringian Forest, with which we can gradually connect the lynx populations in Germany and Central Europe. This project is enormously important for this - and I would like to thank the many partners who are contributing to its success."

Dr Markus Port, lynx expert at BUND Thüringen: "The lynx has accompanied BUND Thüringen for many years and now we are able to accompany it on its return to its original habitat. We are very proud of this. Especially as our many years of involvement provide the basis for the current project. Thanks to the monitoring, we have in-depth knowledge of the species‘ presence in Thuringia and can now set the course for the lynx's permanent return to Thuringia's forests."

Dr Max Boxleitner, Project Manager "Luchs Thüringen" at WWF Germany: "The future of the lynx in Germany will be decided in Thuringia. We need the Thuringian forests as connecting corridors between the lynx populations in the Harz Mountains and the Bavarian Forest. But the region also plays a crucial role beyond the state borders for the lynx population in Central Europe as a hub to ensure genetic exchange between the populations."

Dr Katrin Vogel, Managing Director of Wildtierland Hainich gGmbH: "I am delighted that Frieda is now the fourth lynx from our offspring in the BUND Wildcat Village to roam freely through European forests - the first lynx cat here in Thuringia. Anyone who would like to meet her parents or siblings is very welcome in Hütscheroda."

The lynx were released into the wild using the so-called soft release method, in which the lynx were kept in the release enclosure for two to four weeks before being released. This was intended to allow the animals to acclimatise gently to their new environment. The animals were also able to sniff each other out in two separate parts of the enclosure before they were released. Both lynxes were fitted with GPS collars so that their movements could be monitored in the first few months after their release.

The "Luchs Thüringen – Europas Luchse vernetzen" project will run until the end of August 2027 and is being implemented as part of the ‘Funding of projects for the development of nature and landscape’ (ENL) programme of the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation (TMUEN) - and is being implemented jointly by BUND Thüringen and BUND Bundesverband, WWF Germany, the Wildcat Village Hütscheroda, ThüringenForst, the Thuringian State Hunting Association, the UNESCO Thuringian Forest Biosphere Reserve, the Thuringian Forest Nature Park, Georg August University Göttingen and the Romanian project partners ACDB and Romsilva. The Ministry of the Environment is supporting the project with around 2.9 million euros until 2027, of which one fifth comes from the Thuringian state budget and the remaining 80 per cent is co-financed by EU ENL funds.

Additional quotes: 

Frank Herrmann, State Director of the LJV Thuringia: "With the release of the two lynx here in the ridges of the Thuringian Forest, monitoring by the highly motivated and trained lynx officers of the hunting organisations is also picking up speed. We are very excited to see whether the two new arrivals will be able to establish contact with the lynxes that have been sporadically detected in the border area between northern Bavaria and the High Slate Mountains for years and thus take an important step towards connecting the populations."

Dr Tiemo Kahl, UNESCO Thuringian Forest Biosphere Reserve Officer: "As a hotspot of biodiversity in Germany, the UNESCO Thuringian Forest Biosphere Reserve is delighted about the arrival of the lynx. These important apex predators will enrich the ecosystem in many ways."

Ralf Kirchner, Deputy Managing Director, Thuringian Forest Nature Park: "The last lynx in the Thuringian Forest was wiped out over 200 years ago. Today we can finally celebrate its return! I am often asked by locals and tourists: Can lynxes even survive in these damaged forests? The chances have never been better in the last 200 years! The lynx has a future in the nature park because it is very welcome. Its return to the Thuringian Forest is the cornerstone for the future of the lynx in Germany."