Translocation

Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 07/08/2024:

«Finja was the first female lynx to be released into the wild in the Black Forest in December last year as part of the project to support the lynx population in Baden-Württemberg. She died seven months later. The animal underwent an intensive veterinary pathological examination. Experts identified the cause of death as distemper, an infectious disease that is comparatively common in foxes and martens but very rare in cats,» said the Minister for Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection, Peter Hauk MdL, in Stuttgart on Wednesday (7 August).

Finja came from a wildlife enclosure in Thuringia and was prepared for release into the wild in a special enclosure in Rhineland-Palatinate. Since her release into the wild, she had, like her conspecifics, regularly preyed on deer and occasionally hares and foxes. At the beginning of July, during a routine check for a possible bite, Finja the lynx cat was found alive but in a very poor condition in the northern Black Forest. All rescue attempts failed, so the animal had to be euthanised.

«The case of Finja illustrates the complexity of the reintroduction project and that such losses are unfortunately always to be expected in the wild,» emphasised Minister Hauk.

Canine distemper very common in foxes and martens, extremely rare in lynxes

Canine distemper is a highly contagious viral disease that is widespread in Germany and occurs mainly in canines and martens as well as raccoons and seals. Very rarely, lynxes can also become infected with the virus, for example through direct physical contact via nasal and eye secretions or indirectly via objects that have been contaminated with secretions, urine or faeces from sick animals. Since Finja, as is typical for a wild lynx, also killed foxes in addition to her main prey, infection via an infected fox is likely.

Very isolated cases of distemper in lynxes are also known from other regions such as Switzerland. However, these are very rare. ‘As distemper primarily affects canines, such as foxes, and lynxes rarely fall ill, the disease does not pose a significant risk to a lynx population. Vaccination of lynx is therefore not indicated according to current knowledge,’ explains Dr Marco Roller, veterinarian at Karlsruhe Zoo (partner in the lynx project). There is currently no distemper vaccine authorised for lynx in Germany.

Background information

The project launched by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection (MLR) to support the lynx population in the Black Forest is being realised by the Forest Research Institute (FVA) in cooperation with the State Hunting Association, WWF Germany and Karlsruhe Zoo as project partners.

Up to ten lynx, especially females, are to be released into the wild in the Black Forest by 2027 to support the population.