Rehabilitation and release of orphaned Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Europe: Implications for management and conservation. ...

• Main Authors: Molinari-Jobin, Anja, Zimmermann, Fridolin, Borel, Stéphanie, Le Grand, Luc, Iannino, Elena, Anders, Ole, Belotti, Elisa, Bufka, Ludek, Ćirović, Duško, Drouet-Hoguet, Nolwenn, Engleder, Thomas, Figura, Michał, Fuxjäger, Christian, Gregorova, Eva, Heurich, Marco, Idelberger, Sylvia, Kubala, Jakub, Kusak, Josip, Melovski, Dime, Middelhoff, Tomma Lilli, Mináriková, Tereza, Molinari, Paolo, Mouzon-Moyne, Lorane, Moyne, Gilles, Mysłajek, Robert W, Nowak, Sabina, Ozolins, Janis, Ryser, Andreas, Sanaja, Bardh, Shkvyria, Maryna, Sin, Teodora, Sindičić, Magda, Slijepčević, Vedran, Stauffer, Christian, Tám, Branislav, Trajce, Aleksander, Volfová, Josefa, Wölfl, Sybille, Zlatanova, Diana, Vogt, Kristina
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Public Library of Science 2024
• Subjects: 630 Agriculture; Lynx; Lynx lynx lynx
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.48350/194020; https://boris.unibe.ch/194020/

Rehabilitation of injured or immature individuals has become an increasingly used conservation and management tool. However, scientific evaluation of rehabilitations is rare, raising concern about post-release welfare as well as the cost-effectiveness of spending scarce financial resources. Over the past 20 years, events of juvenile Eurasian lynx presumably orphaned have been observed in many European lynx populations. To guide the management of orphaned lynx, we documented survival, rehabilitation and fate after the release and evaluated the potential relevance of lynx orphan rehabilitation for population management and conservation implications. Data on 320 orphaned lynx was collected from 1975 to 2022 from 13 countries and nine populations. The majority of orphaned lynx (55%) were taken to rehabilitation centres or other enclosures. A total of 66 orphans were released back to nature. The portion of rehabilitated lynx who survived at least one year after release was 0.66. Release location was the best ...