Telemetric monitoring of five lynx in the Beskydy Mountains
9.4.2021, Mendel University in Brno, Hnutí DUHA Olomouc (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic), ZOO Ostrava
Researchers from Mendel University in Brno captured five male lynx within one year in the central part of the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy. Each animal was fitted with a satellite tracking collar. Intensive telemetric monitoring takes part within the international project SaveGREEN. Hnutí DUHA Olomouc is the partner of the project in the Czech Republic. With this method, experts are hoping to map important wildlife corridors used by large carnivores and other animals. The data obtained will help in more consistent protection of these species and could be used to preserve the landscape permeability which is largely diminished by the building development and road construction.
"GPS telemetry is one of the basic tools for effective study and protection of many animal species. In addition to defining critical points in terms of transport infrastructure and mapping key wildlife corridors, we will also focus on the feeding ecology and interactions of lynx within and between species. We are sure that the data we obtain will be beneficial for further research and protection of the Eurasian lynx both at the national and international level," said Martin Duľa, the zoologist from the Institute of Forest Ecology at Mendel University in Brno and the leader of the capture team.
Lynx named Eman occupies a large area from the Olomouc region to the Slovak Kysuce
In spring 2020, the first animal fitted with the tracking collar was a one-year-old male, named Eman by the researchers. The lynx was caught shortly after separating from its mother. The young male, still searching for the territory of its own, moves in a large area between Lipník nad Bečvou through Hostýn Hills, Vsetín and Moravian-Silesian Beskydy to Slovak Kysuce.[1] The telemetry tracking collar for its monitoring was provided by the Ostrava Zoo which cooperates in the wild lynx protection since 2018. "The protection of animals in their natural habitats and of course, the preservation of habitats themselves is extremely important. For the conservation efforts to be truly effective, we need to know as much as possible about the protected animals' way of life," said Jiří Novák, the director of the Ostrava Zoo.
Map of the movements of a young male Eman in nearly a year of monitoring using satellite telemetry
During this year's mating season, four more lynx were captured and equipped with a tracking collar. Three of them were young males in their second year of life, the fourth was a five-year-old resident lynx.[2a,b] This provides an opportunity to map in great detail the space requirements of rare carnivores at the edge of their occurrence in the Carpathians. The long-distance dispersal of large carnivores in our landscape becomes more and more difficult with the rapid development and increasing intensity of car traffic, as evidenced by recent cases of lynx and wolves killed on the roads. "The connectivity of mountain ranges is important for the survival of large carnivore populations. Young animals searching for new territory often need to cross densely populated areas at the foothills. Telemetric monitoring of several individuals at the same time gives us a great opportunity to find out which passages are still available for large carnivores in the Beskydy area and where, on the other hand, the landscape connectivity needs improving," said Michal Bojda, a field worker of Hnutí DUHA Olomouc and researcher at the Mendel University in Brno.
Radio-monitored lynx males Lukáš and Vendelín; author: Martin Duľa
"The Eurasian lynx lead a secretive life, so the data on their movements through the landscape can help us significantly in their protection. Maintaining and improving landscape connectivity will benefit not only lynx but other animals as well. Unfortunately, the transport infrastructure is not the only threat for the lynx in the Beskydy Mountains; poaching also remains a major problem," stated František Jaskula from the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, head of the Beskydy Protected Landscape Area Administration.
The tracking collars used for the telemetric monitoring are pre-set for a certain period. Therefore, the animals do not have to be recaptured to remove the tracking device. "All five lynx are in good condition and succesfully hunting. After a certain time, the collar will automatically open and fall off," concludes Duľa.
Watch at YouTube: the footage of the male Lukáš with the prey.
Telemetry will also provide valuable information for the international SaveGREEN project
Wildlife road deaths are one of the consequences of declining landscape permeability, but the isolation of fragile populations represents an even greater risk. It can reduce the reproductive success of key species and thus threaten the viability of entire ecosystems. The SaveGREEN project focuses on this problem in the Carpathians and Danube region. [3] It aims to promote the best solutions for the protection of ecological corridors. Within the project, Hnutí DUHA Olomouc (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic) wants to develop, among other things, examples of good practice in the protection of landscape permeability in the Beskydy - Kysuce pilot area (CZ-SK). The experience can then be transferred to other areas of the Czech Republic.
Successful capture and telemetric monitoring of lynx in the Beskydy Mountains would not have been possible without the cooperation of many institutions and individuals. We would like to thank the Zvolen National Forestry Centre, the Frýdek-Místek District Forest Administration and local hunting grounds managements, the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, and the veterinarians involved in the capture.
Contacts:
Martin Duľa, Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, martin.dula@mendelu.cz, 770 137 635
Michal Bojda, Hnutí DUHA Olomouc (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic and Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, michal.bojda@hnutiduha.cz, 734 233 993
Šárka Nováková, a spokeswoman of the Ostrava Zoo, novakova@zoo-ostrava.cz, 778 466 305
Notes:
[1] Map of the movements of a young male Eman in nearly a year of monitoring using satellite telemetry
[2a,b] Photographs of collared lynx;
2a - male named Lukáš, author: Martin Duľa
2b - male named Vendelín, author: Martin Duľa
[3] The project SaveGREEN is co-funded by European Union Funds (ERDF) through the Transnational Cooperation Programme Interreg Danube (DTP). More about the project can be found on the official project website.
