A great oddyssey of lynx Lubo from Kysuce to Maple Mountains
8.2.2016, Carnivores.cz
The concept of home from the perspective of lynx Ľubo is quite broad. It not represented by one valley, not even a mountain range. Since last October, several camera traps have captured him in three different geomorphological complexes among the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. His presence was recorded in particular in Maple Mountains (Javorníky Mts.), Kysucké Highlands and Kysucké Beskydy Mountains on the area vaster than 300 km2 (30 000 hectares). The unique data were collected thanks to co-project of large carnivores’ tracking, which connects The Friends of the Earth (together with the Protected Landscape Area (PLA) Kysuce Authority and a great number of volunteers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. [1]
Seven different camera traps captured lynx Ľubo eleven times during the period of 80 days, i.e. from the end of October till the mid-January. Zoologists from the Friends of the Erath identified the lynx thanks to his unique fur pattern marked with typical rosettes. „It is rather impressive that Ľubo had to cross at least three times a very frequented (more than 15 000 cars per day) highway E75 between Čadca and Žilina, a two-rail railroad, the Kysuca river, a highway E442 between Makov and Kolárovice and various other car roads.“ [2] said Martin Dul’a, who dedicated his diploma thesis pursued at Masaryk University to large carnivore’s tracking in PLA Kysuce.
On his demanding journey, Ľubo visited about 20 hunting grounds and he probably used three wildlife corridors (close to Povina, Klubina and Kolárovice), that were identified in a recent study conducted at Mendel University in Brno by Czech and Slovakian zoologists [3]. „The landscape at the western border of the Carpathian Mountains is severely marked by human activity. It is a good message, however, that despite the heavy traffic, the area can be passed through. I tis imperative that we conserve the rest of our wildlife corridors in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In order to keep a lynx population that is able to reproduce on its own, the connection between Beskydy, Maple Mountains and the core of lynx population in Carpathian Mountains in Slovakia is a need“, added Michal Bojda, the coordinator of wildlife corridors tracking from the Rainbow Movement in Olomouc. „Even though many of the lynx managed to overcome various obstacles, others may not be so lucky. In the worst case scenario, they will end up under the wheels of a vehicle: only last year two lynx were hit by car in Beskydy and Maple Mountains [4] specified Miroslav Kutal, the coordinator of Olomouc branch of Friends of the Eearth.
A better protection of ecological networks in the Carpathian Mountains should be discussed in a project ConnectGREEN, which is being prepared by the Friends of the Eearth together with partners from those countries with Carpathian mountains extending over their area.
„The current and planned urbanization decreases the possibility to walk through the landscape for the large carnivores. In the last few years, the PLA Kysuce administration together with civic association Karpatská divočina have been focusing on tracking of the large carnivores‘ signs of presence not only in their natural habitat, but also in those parts of future wildlife coridors, that are in the nearest vicinity of urban areas. The spatial planning can thus take into account the collected data when planning introduction of new wildlife corridors and keep the connectivity of carnivores‘ natural habitats,“ says Peter Drengubiak from PLA Kysuce Authority and civic association Karpatská divočina.
„Thanks to GPS telemetry, we could track the movement between above mentioned forest complexes in the past. Lynx Ludvík (Král) set off for similar journey during the period of rut. He made his way from the Maple Mountains to the Kysucké Beskydy Mountains and back in a week approximately [5]. Lynx Ľubo just proved that his transfer was not rare and this migration track is still viable and ensures the contact with the rest of the Carpathian lynx population,“ added Jarmila Krojerová from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology, the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Notes:
[1] Thanks go to the volunteers of Large Carnivore Monitoring Project as well as to Mr. Ľuboslav Hrdý, after whom the lynx got its name; to Michal Králík, Beňadik Machciník Vlado Trulík and Peter Dregunbiak.
[2] So far recorded movements of lynx Ľubo:
· 26. 10. 2015 – Kysucké Highlands
· 11.–28. 11. 2015 – Maple Mountains
· 6.–31. 12. 2015 – Kysucké Highlands
· 4. 1. 2016 – Kysuca Beskydy Mountains
· 9. 1. 2016 – Kysucké Highlands
· since 19.1.2016 – Maple Mountains
[3] More in the publication of M. Kutal & J. Suchomel, 2014: Analýza výskytu velkých šelem a průchodnosti krajiny v Západních Karpatech, free download at: http://www.selmy.cz/publikace/odborne-publikace/analyza-vyskytu-velkych-selem-a-pruchodnosti-krajiny-v-zapadnich-karpatech/
[4] More at: http://www.selmy.cz/tiskove-zpravy/jedno-z-mladat-rysice-lenky-bylo-srazeno-autem-na-dolni-becve/
[5] The telemetry map tracking Ludvík’s trip to Kysuce: http://www.beskydy.ivb.cz/telemetrie/16-telemetricky-sledovana-zvirata
Translation from CZ press release: Tereza Válková
Part-financed by the European Union.
