Surprise Appearance of Lynx in France

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Surprise Appearance of Lynx in France

CAT NEWS
Issue 20, Spring 1994

Lynx have been confirmed along the Moselle river, west of Nancy, in northern France. This is not an area where reintroductions are known to have been carried out. The nearest is in the Vosges mountains, about 100 km south-east of Nancy.

Signs of lynx were found in April 1990, followed by an apparent sighting in car headlights. These incidents gave substance to some earlier reports and were followed by more possible sightings and finding of sign. In 1993, signs of a young lynx were found and the population has been calculated to consist of four animals.

While clandestine release of lynx is possible, local naturalists Marc Renner and Monique Courtade favour lynx having radiated from the Vosges along the Moselle, where there are closed military zones and many roe deer, the main prey of lynx. There is speculation that lynx may have moved even further to the valley of the Meuse, which flows northwards towards Luxembourg.

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