From this year onwards, we mark June 11th as International lynx day. In Slovenia we celebrated it with the premiere of the documentary film “Path of the Lynx”.
The first celebration of the International lynx day of was marked by the 45th anniversary of the reintroduction of the lynx in the northern Dinarides. In the past, the lynx was present throughout the territory of Slovenia, but it disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century, due to loss of habitat, lack of prey and excessive hunting. In 1973 hunters and foresters brought 6 lynxes from Slovakia to Slovenia, which was a major nature conservation project for the then situation. Reintroduction proved to be one of the most successful in Europe, and in the following years the lynx spread from Slovenia to neighbouring countries (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy and Austria).
Despite successful reproduction, the lynx population remained isolated, and the number of lynxes began to decline due to genetic deterioration (inbreeding and genetic drift). Genetic analyses show that without our help the lynx will extinct again in a few years. Therefore from 2017 to 2024 the international project “LIFE Lynx” will be implemented for the purpose of long-term preservation of lynx in Slovenia, Croatia and Italy. Within the project, the lynxes from the Carpathian population, captured in Romania and Slovakia, will be moved to Slovenia and Croatia. Within the LIFE Lynx project 14 new animals will be introduced into domestic lynx population.
Also this time hunters and foresters will play a central role, along with other stakeholders involved, especially local communities, who are committed to maintaining this endangered species. The project is funded by the European Union through the LIFE programme, and is co-financed by the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, which provided all necessary support during project application process.
In the framework of the LIFE Lynx project, they produced a documentary film ” Path of the Lynx ” as a tribute to a handful of hunters and foresters, who with their enthusiasm enabled the lynx to still live in our forests. The film was premiered on June 11, 2018 in Ljubljana’s Kinodvor, and the next screening will take place on June 14, 2018 at the Kočevje Cultural Centre. The ZOO Ljubljana also joined the celebration by organizing various workshops in the framework of the Lynx Week (9-17 June 2018). Warmly invited!
The article summarized the LIFE Lynx project release.
