Controversy over reintroducing the lynx in Europe | DW Documentary

Lynx and other large carnivores once called Europe home. Then, humans wiped out these native animals. Now, a few lynx are back. Will they be able to stay?

In Baden-Württemberg, a plan to reintroduce the native lynx would enable the population to expand and take root, once again. But the plan is meeting with resistance. If thwarted, this could have consequences for lynx populations throughout Europe.

Lias is the name of a male lynx in Baden-Württemberg. He lives quietly in the Upper Danube Valley. Researchers have put a transmitter collar on him to learn more about his behaviour, and the film accompanies Armin Hafner, a wildlife expert, as he follows Lias' trail.

During the mating season in March, Lias must wander several hundred kilometres in his search for a female. Because no female lynx come to Baden-Württemberg, a stable population with offspring can only come about if female lynx are reintroduced there.

But Baden-Württemberg‘s hunters are against the reintroduction of the lynx, here. Without new lynx offspring in southern Germany, however, the number of lynx in other countries could also decline, because their offspring would be the result of inbreeding. Lynx expert Armin Hafner is on the hunt -- for good solutions.


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