BUND launches project on lynx in Saxony

Saxony wants to offer the lynx a safe home again. After becoming extinct in Germany for more than 150 years, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is now making a comeback thanks to reintroduction projects in the Ore Mountains and Thuringia, among other places. The German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) now wants to support the project through educational work and is launching a program on lynxes in Saxony.

Lynxes need acceptance among the population

"The lynx is at the top of the food chain and keeps the forest ecosystem in a natural balance," explained Felix Ekardt, head of BUND in Saxony. In times when more and more diversity in nature is being lost, every species is valuable. The shy lynx need the acceptance of the population. "This is exactly where our educational work comes in."

Exhibition, theater project and podcast on the topic of lynx

The educational project comprises several parts. A traveling exhibition is intended to impart basic knowledge about the lynx, while information boards and interactive stations bring visitors closer to the world of the big cats with the distinctive ears.

The "Fräulein Brehms Tierleben" theater project is involved with a play about lynxes aimed at children aged 8 and over. The first three performances will take place in the fall. A podcast series is also planned in which lynx experts will have their say.

Saxony's lynxes had their first offspring in 2025

Saxony released its first three lynxes into the wild in spring 2024. The first offspring were born in 2025. Female lynx Alva gave birth to two cubs - one male and one female. By the end of 2032, two lynx per year are to be given a new home in Saxony. Around 1.8 million euros have been budgeted for the program. As a partner, the Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz is required to raise third-party funds after 2027.

In addition to Saxony, Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia currently have such a reintroduction program. The lynx from Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia are to network with each other and thus keep the gene pool fresh.