Reintroduction of the European Lynx (Lynx lynx) in Poland

Introduction Summary of Reintroduction in Poland Beaver Bison Elk Restoration Project Lynx

Introduction
The lynx was a predator in central European lowland forests in former times. It is a extremely rare and protected species in Poland with an estimated population of about 200 individuals. Human hunting pressure, agricultural change, and its economic value were the reasons that the lynx abandoned the Puszcza Kampinoska in the 19th century.

The project described herein was a field experiment with zoo-born individuals which was an important and new zoo strategy in global natural conservation. Since 1992, two male and five female lynx equipped with radiotelemetry collars were moved to Kampinoski National Park from their former enclosure. The reintroduction procedure was based on information from recent scientific literature about the lynx, the considerable experience of Polish and German teams in reproduction, behavior, and reintroduction of threatened species, as well as forest and wildlife managers.

The program adheres to:

• The Washington Convention (CITES) - the lynx are captive-bred and for conservation purposes and not for trade;
• The European Council on Nature and Environment Series on the status, conservation needs, and reintroduction of the lynx (Lynx lynx ) in Europe, Strasbourg, 1990;
• The Convention of the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention), Environmental Encounters No. 11, 1992;
• Recommendation No. 20 of the Bern Convention on the protection of the European lynx;
• The IUCN position statement on the translocation of living organisms, 4 September 1987.

Our project was accepted by the head conservator of Poland (the Vice Minister of Environment) and the Polish National Council of Wildlife Conservation.

Since 1994, three females reared offspring after release in the Kampinoski National Park area.Young lynx, which were born in the forest, are quite different individuals. They are fully-wild, beautiful cats with excellent adaptation to their new home. All lynx prey on animal up to the size of Roe deer or sometimes even domestic cats and rabbits.

This report was submitted by
Dr. Michael Boer,
Dr. Jan Smielowski (Poznan),
and Pawel Tyrala.

This is a mirror page

In Poland, many different forest habitats are poor in terms of fauna as a result of human activity, including the elimination of human competition: predators. Additionally, the degradation of most habitats has had a negative effect on most faunal species.

Beaver
After World War II, Polish naturalists began intensive work to restore the country's native fauna; the European beaver (Castor fiber) being one example. Its restoration in northeastern areas of Poland (near Osowiec) started as early as 1949. Twenty six specimens, mainly from Russia (the Voronezh district) were released. The only surviving native population of the Central European beaver (Castor fiber vistulanus Matschie, 1907) was near to the Niemen River basin, close to the Polish-Lithuanian border. There was also a small local colony of Canadian beaver in the Masurian Lakes region, near to the Pakleka River, which were introduced there several years before by the German inhabitants of the region.

In 1973, a European beaver re-introduction project was launched. Beavers from the densely populated region of the Czarna Hanza river basin in northeastern Poland, and also from two captive breeding centres, were released in various areas within Poland. Generally, only young beavers (between 1-2 years old) were moved; the first translocated beaver, released in the area of the Sniardwy Lake did not survived as the individual was too old. In 1980, an additional seven beavers of different ages from the northeastern district of the Wigry Lake and Suwalki area were released into Kampinos National Park. In the park today there lives a resident beaver colony consisting of several families.

In the course of the study carried out by the author, beavers showed some unique adaptation patterns to different habitats, food availability and anthropogenic influence. The beavers observed all lived close to areas highly utilized by humans. The animals occupied, for example, a river bank close to a potato processing factory. In the author's opinion, beavers are a typical example of a highly adaptable species. Consequently, through natural dispersion from areas of release, beavers have managed to penetrate many parts of Poland from where they had been absent before the releases where there was the necessary habitat: lakes, river or other water-basin systems. As an example, in western parts of Poland there are now several thousand beavers, whereas before 1974, the species was totally absent from this area. Both the Elbe-beaver (Castor fiber albicus) and the Central European beaver (Castor fiber vistulanus) are expanding their distribution; the distributions of these two sub-species may soon cross.

Bison
In 1952, after about 30 years of captive breeding, the first European bison (Bison bonasus) were released into the Bialowieza Primeval Forest. At the time, re-introduction of captive bred animals was a fairly novel concept, but this project succeeded in saving this highly endangered European species from extinction. In the sixties, the bison was reintroduced into the Borki Forest and the woodlands of the Bieszczady Mountains. By 1973, the species was breeding in the Knyszyn forest, and in 1980, in the Nadnotecka forest in the western part of Poland.

Elk
The Polish elk re-introduction project was initiated in 1951, in the Kampinos Forest; the last remaining elks (Alces alces) having died in Kampinos Forest in the 18th Century. The released individuals originated from White Russia (Belorussia). They were bred in an enclosure before being released into forest habitat in 1958. From this nucleus group, and also from some specimens re-introduced in the northeastern district of Rajgród, the elk population has dispersed and successfully established new populations in other parts of Poland; the reintroduction is considered extremely successful. For example, between 1962-1965, the elk population growth in Kampinos averaged 20% per year, and between 1961 and 1966 the Kampinos National Park recorded that 30% of births were twins. Today, the estimated population of elks in Kampinos is between 100-120 individuals with a density of 3-4 individuals per 1000 hectares.

Restoration Project
In 1992, a project was initiated looking at the restoration of various other native Polish fauna through breeding programmes. The project concentrates primarily on rare and endangered species of birds and mammals including the European mink (Mustela lutrcola) (extinct in Poland) and the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) (Critical). Both species are named in the top category of threatened species. From the second category, the project would deal with some birds of prey: greater spotted eagle, (Aquila clanga), lesser spotted eagle, (Aquila pomarina), osprey, (pandion haliaetus), and other species such as the European roller, the stone curlew, (Burhinus oedicnemus), the European wild cat, (Felis silvestris), the European otter (Lutra lutra), and the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus).

Of all these, the species given priority is the golden eagle, which appears on the project's emblem is not only Poland's national flagship species, but it also has critical status in Poland. Thus, since 1992, the Green Library Foundation together with Poznan Zoo have initiated a captive breeding programme for the golden eagle; so far, 11 golden eagles have been placed in an aviary for breeding. In addition, a popular book explaining the role of the 'white' eagle in Polish national history is under preparation. This has all been regarded as one small step towards the restoration of Poland's native fauna.

Lynx
Restoration of the lynx, Lynx lynx, is also part of the overall restoration project. It has been observed that in some forest habitats in Poland, the herbivore populations are high; they are not being regulated by predators, and thus the habitat shows significant stress. The lynx project, which aimed to re-introduce the lynx into central Poland to Kampinos National Park, was able to show that given the local climate and lowland forest condition, the predator seemed to be a necessary and welcome component to the ecosystem.

The lynx project itself is exceptional in several respects. It is unique in Poland in that it uses telemetry to monitor the released animals and in Europe (together with with the release of captive bred wolves in Georgia - see RE-INTRODUCTION NEWS 8 and 12), in that it involves the release of captive bred carnivores.

The three major reasons for lynx becoming exterminated from the Kampinos Forest in the 19th Century were human pressure, including hunting, agricultural development and the lynx's economic value. Initiated in 1992, the project sourced four males and seven females from various captive breeding institutions, different breeding stocks and thus different gene pools for later release in Kampinos National Park.

The project has had three phases:

• the lynxes needed to adapt to the local microclimate and environment (minimum three months), and their feeding habits needed to be tuned to the potential available food: roe deer, wild boar, elk. At this stage the animals were kept in individual enclosures;
  

• the lynxes were trained to kill;
  

• the interaction between different lynxes and their social relations and ranking; i.e. male-female relationship before and during mating periods; mutual cooperation in hunting etc. have been studied. During this phase the lynxes were in a big enclosure (of at least 2000m²)

After the breeding season, the lynxes were released one by one by opening the door of their hunting enclosure into the forest. Usually, following their release, the lynx would stay for a few days close to the enclosure, travelling no further than 1-2 km, until dispersing.

Typically with the changing seasons, the lynx will shift territories. Occasionally, they will stay for a longer period in the same area. For example, the dominant female 'Theresa' occupied the same hunting territory for three years (last winter with a young female from Sweden). The radio-telemetric data shows that lynxes usually prefer the same forest habitat.

Kampinos National Park is equivalent to an ecological island: to the north it borders the Vistula river, to the south the Berlin-Moscow highway, to the east lies Warsaw, the capital of Poland with its three million inhabitants, and to the west it borders an agricultural zone. Thus, it was quite a surprise to learn that one of the released females (released in the summer of 1994) was found in another forest located 60 km from the southwestern corner of Kampinis National Park. She must have migrated there, having found a natural ecological canal along the Bzura river basin. The female lived in this forest until she was either caught or killed by a local poacher.

In 1995, during the second breeding season since the lynx were released, a lynx and her 10-month old kitten were seen. All project staff were overcome with joy to see a young lynx, born from captive parents, in excellent shape, behaving like a typical wild cat. In 1996, a second female produced offspring. One case of extraordinary breeding behaviour was observed when an adult female 'Theresa', having spent two breeding seasons in the forest, returned to the enclosure to mate with a breeding male 'Spencer'.

Between 1995 and 1996, however, four lyxes (2m:2f) were lost; all were road kills. Thus road deaths are a significant problem and to develop some means of reducing traffic related mortality is a priority.

The author would like to thank Pawal Tyrala and De. Michael Boer for assistance and cooperation in lynx project. The lynx project was stimulated during a conference at Antwerp by Dr. Ulysses Seal, Chairman of CBSG. Its implementation has been possible thanks to the financial support kindly provided by Polish National Found of Environment Protection, British Airways Assisting Nature Conservation, as well as many others organization and private sponsors, whom I would hereby like to thank for the help.

Contributed by Dr. Jan Smielowski, Agricultural University of Poznan, Poland.

This page is a mirror from the
Re-introduction Specialist Group
of IUCN'S Species Survival Commission (SSC)

Comments to:
Nancy
February 12, 1997