Missing female lynx reappears - with offspring

Vreni is alive!

Wild lynx populations in Western and Central Europe are under severe pressure. The individual populations are sometimes very small and poorly interconnected, which threatens to genetically deplete the populations. Targeted reintroductions help to connect and strengthen the populations.

Coordinated by the international "Linking Lynx" network, 16 lynx born in zoos have been released into the wild in Germany since the beginning of 2023. Three of them come from Wildnispark Zurich: Vreni and her sisters Verena and Freya.

First lost, now a beacon of hope

Vreni was released into the wild in the Thuringian Forest in August 2024. Wildlife cameras and her GPS transmitter showed that she had settled in well to her new environment after just a short time. She was also quickly able to hunt deer, although she was never able to practise this when kept in a zoo.

However, due to a technical defect in the transmitter, contact with Vreni was lost early on. There was no sign of life from the animal for over a year. It was only thanks to new images from photo traps that Vreni could now be clearly identified on the basis of her individual fur pattern. One of the photos also shows a young lynx following Vreni at a short distance.

Species conservation project "Lynx Thuringia - Connecting Europe's lynxes"

"We are overjoyed that Vreni is still alive and that she is still in the Thuringian Forest. When I discovered the lynx and her cub while reviewing the photo trap images, it was one of the great moments of our project for me," says Dr. Markus Port, lynx expert at BUND Thüringen. He is part of the team of the species conservation project "Lynx Thuringia - Connecting Europe's lynxes".

The cub in the photo is almost fully grown and was probably born in spring 2025. "Vreni, who was around two years old at the time, was therefore able to reproduce successfully in the first year after her release into the wild. This is a great success for our project," explains Port. Lynx give birth to up to four young once a year. It is not known how large Vreni's litter was. Often not all cubs are captured by the wildlife cameras.

Thuringia as a bridge between the Harz Mountains and the Bavarian Forest

Vreni's offspring mark a decisive step in establishing a stable population in Thuringia and the neighboring federal states. The aim of the project is to establish a permanent lynx population in the Thuringian Forest and thus create an important link between the existing populations in the Harz Mountains and the Bavarian Forest.

The team of Wildnispark Zurich is also delighted. "We are delighted that Vreni has been able to establish herself in the Thuringian Forest," explains Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Managing Director of the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation. "It fills us with pride and gratitude that we can contribute to the conservation of this wonderful species in Europe." The Wildnispark Zurich Foundation participates in the conservation breeding program of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and is one of the few zoos in Europe where lynx can be specifically prepared for a life in the wild.

PS: Incidentally, one of the wildlife camera images shows that Vreni has already been accompanied by a male again. The male is called Ionel, comes from Romania and was released into the wild in April 2025.

PPS: The Wildnispark Zurich Foundation would be grateful for further donations to support the lynx breeding programme at Langenberg Wildlife Park. Click here to go directly to the donation form.

High-resolution images in the ZIP below