Cat Conservation Strategy and Action Plan

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Cat Conservation Strategy and Action Plan

CAT NEWS
Issue 12, Spring 1990

France and Switzerland
Switzerland
Spanish Lynx

Lynx Lynx lynx in France and Switzerland
Veronique Herrenschmidt

The lynx research program began in 1983 in the Vosges Mountains. We have released 14 lynx in the Vosges in three releases since 1983, and six are alive today. There have been two cases of breeding, but, unfortunately, the young did not survive. One of the mothers was killed by humans, resulting in the death of her young cubs, and the young of the other one got rabies. I hope that there will be good reproduction in 1989. Six more cats are to be released next winter.

We have been studying dispersal, the establishment of home range, and the needs of lynx released in an environment that is free from other cats. The second objective of the study, the impact of lynx, is being looked at from the point of view of the sex ratio, age ratio, and physical condition of the prey killed by the lynx. The biggest problem that confronted us in this release operation was the release of information. This was the first time big cats had been officially released in France. We thought that the information given before the release was enough, but it was not true. And this error threatened to bring down the entire project. Information has much more effect when you explain how the lynx will be released and what is their expected impact. The information should be based on scientific surveys. In France, this operation has shown that it was most important to influence children, who could talk to their parents. You can do that through books and pictures. And then also, there is a need to influence local politicians. This is very important because local people keep sheep, and the politicians can easily stop any information about the project, if they are ill-informed.

Lynx reintroduced into Switzerland since 1974 have colonized France in the area of the Jura Mountains and the northern Alps. In the Jura, this colonization has now resulted in a problem. Sheep predation has continually risen. Ten sheep were killed the first year, 30 the second year, and then, in 1988, nearly 150 sheep were killed. We expect 400 sheep to be killed in 1989. The sheep owners are compensated by the government, and the Ministry of the Environment is trying to find a solution to this problem. But it is quite hard to convince sheep owners to put protection collars on their sheep; they are very resistent. The sheep owners have no authority to shoot or trap the lynxes that attack their sheep. They are not told how to discourage or capture the lynx that are killing the sheep, and we are not killing the lynx that kill sheep. It is a big problem, and we have to solve it. I think that it could become more and more dangerous in terms of a general reintroduction of lynx in Europe. There are other carnivores, including dogs, in the area, and I am not sure that only lynx are killing the sheep.

Jackson: Obviously there is a very serious problem. Veronique said 400 sheep might be killed this year and I could well sympathize with the sheep owners. However, they should take precautions.

Lynx in Switzerland
Urs Breitenmoser

We are radio-tracking on the Swiss side of the border with France, where we have not had problems of lynx killing sheep. But there have been some problems in the Alps. Recently we made a video film to educated Swiss game wardens on how to distinguish between kills by lynx, dogs and red fox.

The problem I would like to focus on is that of reintroduction of lynx in the Alps. I am sure that we shall have uneven breeding problems, because only a few lynx were released. We do not know if the lynx, which were captured in the wild in the Carpathian Mountains, are very closely related to each other or not. Unfortunatel, I do not think further releases will be possible in Switzerland in the coming years for political reasons.

The ideal thing would be to build one big Alpine lynx population with cooperation between Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, and even Romania. I hope the Cat Specialist Group can help.

Spanish Lynx Lynx pardina
Juan F. Beltran, Doñana Biological Station, Apdo 1056, 41080 Seville, Spain

This species is restricted in distribution to the southwest of the Iberian peninsula. Our main research has been in the Doñana National Park. This area is flat and low, and is located on the right bank of the Guadalquivir River in southwestern Spain. The first systematic survey was made by Dr. Miguel Delibes on the lynx's food habits in 1973-1976. Ten years later, in 1983, we began a more complex, longterm program. We used radio-telemetry surveys during which I marked 12 animals. I finished my doctoral thesis in 1988 on food habits, space use, activity patterns, and mortality. The research has continued on some of these animals. Aldama finished his field work in 1988. He continued my work and completed the ecology study. Between us we marked about 25 individuals. Another thesis has been published, mainly on the special problems of this population in relation to all the populations in the Iberian peninsula. Also, research on the contacts, the relationships between sub-populations began in 1988. We estimate the size of the population in the Doñana National Park to be about 50 individuals, in an isolated population.

We have also just finished another study of the lynx in all of Spain, and shall probably publish the results next year. I can say that the species is decreasing. Some populations, which existed in the south of this area in the 1960s, have now disappeared. It is possible that other populations will also disappear in the next 20 years . Another research plan is an attempt to increase the number of lynx living in another protected area, because we estimate the number of lynxes living here at only around 20-25 individuals with problems in the sex ratio and high mortality. To conclude my observations, I can only say that we believe there is still time to avoid the extinction of the species. But we must decide priorities for the use of funds that we obtain.

Jackson: The problem, of course, around the Doñana is that there is a lot of tourist development and roads. Now the rabbit population, which had been depleted by myxomatosis has recovered to some extent, and there is a lot of rabbit trapping. Unfortunately, lynx get caught in the traps, and in many cases are injured and ultimately die.

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