International Lynx Day: Celebrate the Biggest Wild Cat in Europe on June 11

After several decades of low numbers, the return of the lynx to the European forests is slow but steady. The Eurasian lynx was once quite common in most of Europe. Nevertheless, most original populations became extinct, or their abundance has been dramatically reduced in the last two centuries due to hunting, landscape changes, and habitat fragmentation that hinder migration. Protecting large carnivores like lynx and their habitats is a key element of WWF's New Deal for Nature and People, and its goal to halt and reverse biodiversity and habitat loss by 2030.

Successful reintroduction into their appropriate habitats strongly depends on acceptance by the general public. International Lynx Day, first introduced in 2017, is a collaborative initiative of the transboundary 3Lynx Project to increase awareness and promote peaceful co-existence between lynx and local residents.

In many areas, lynx were intentionally eradicated by humans. However, starting from the 1970s, lynx were ensured legal protection and reintroduction programmes began. Lynx currently number around 9000 in Europe, of which 2300-2400 are found in the Carpathian Mountains. These promising numbers foster nature conservationists' belief that the beautiful and shy felines will find their rightful place back to the heart of Europe's forests. The return of the lynx but remains a heated topic of debate, but fortunately it is backed by strict protection and many conservation projects.

 
The Situation in Central and Eastern Europe

The lynx disappeared from Hungary around the time of WWI, but clues to their reappearance began to be found (scat, tracks, hair) again in the 1980s. Camera traps in the Börzsöny, Bükk, Tarna Hills, Aggtelek Karst and Zemplén have...