Lynx program in Saxony continued and extended in time

Saxony is continuing its program to reintroduce lynx into the wild, but is extending it in terms of time. Charlie was the sixth animal to be released into the wild in the Eibenstock forest district. The male lynx (Kuder) was born in July 2024 at Karlsruhe Zoo, where he had spent the past few months in a special enclosure preparing for his life in the wild, according to the Saxon State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology. Veterinarian Marco Roller had accompanied Charlie on his journey to Saxony on Monday night and now had to say goodbye.

In addition to Saxony, Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia are also currently running a reintroduction program for lynxes. There are also populations of the big cat in the Harz Mountains, the Bavarian Forest and the Palatinate Forest - around 100 animals in total. They all originate from reintroduction projects from previous decades.

Saxony released the first wild animals from Switzerland in March 2024. Originally, 20 animals were to be given a new home in the forests around Eibenstock and in Saxon Switzerland by 2027. The strategy is now being adapted and extended until 2032. However, project partner Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz still needs to raise third-party funding for this.