Vreni → Thuringian Forest
First, it was long thought to be lost—then it was spotted twice with its young!
Vreni was the first lynx from the Wildnispark Zurich to be released into the wild. She was born in the spring of 2023. She has a twin sister named Verena.
May 2024: Transport to Germany
Vreni is taken to the Hütscheroda Wildcat Village. This wildlife park maintains a special facility where the lynxes are kept with as little human contact as possible and are specifically prepared for release into the wild.
August 2024: Release into the wild in Thuringia
Together with the lynx male Kilian, Vreni is released into the wild in the Thuringian Forest.
The video below shows how Kilian and Vreni are gently released into the wild from an acclimatization enclosure – built specifically for reintroductions – in the middle of the forest.
→ How the Thuringian Forest Connects Lynx Populations
The goal of the “Lynx Thuringia – Connecting Europe’s Lynx” project is to reintroduce up to 20 lynx into the Thuringian Forest between 2024 and 2027. This is being done for the following reason: The Thuringian Forest serves as an important connecting corridor (“stepping stone”) between the existing lynx populations in the Harz Mountains and the Bavarian Forest. Lynx are reluctant to expand into areas where they do not already live. That is why supporting stepping-stone populations is important. In the long term, this will better promote genetic exchange between the individual lynx populations.
October 2024: The first roe deer is killed
Vreni quickly learns to catch small animals, and after just a few weeks she kills her first roe deer, even though, as a zoo animal, she never had the opportunity to practice hunting.
Roe deer are the main prey of lynx in Central Europe. One roe deer provides a lynx with food for three to seven days. Interestingly, Vreni hides the roe deer under leaves and branches between meals. This behavior is innate in lynx.
November 2024: The GPS transmitter fails.
At first, the project managers are able to track Vreni’s movements thanks to her GPS collar. But then contact is lost. She no longer appears in the camera traps in the project area either. For over a year, it remains unclear where Vreni is.
February 2026: Rediscovered – with a cub!
Vreni has apparently strayed farther from the release site than expected. South of Immendorf, she is captured by hunters’ camera traps. In some photos, she is seen with a cub; in others, she is accompanied by Ionel, another lynx that was also released into the wild. These photos mark an important milestone for the “Thuringian Lynx” project: For the first time, one of the released Thuringian female lynxes has given birth to a cub. This is a first step toward an independent, viable lynx population!
October 2026: A camera trap captures female lynx Vreni again with a cub.
Those in charge of the “Luchs-Thüringen” project believe it is highly likely that the male lynx Ionel is the father. Ionel arrived in Thuringia as a wild-caught animal from the Romanian Carpathians. Both animals have established territories in the region around Ilmenau. The video shows the mother and her cub playing.
