Lynx to be Introduced into Poland from Estonia

Eurasian lynx

The Eurasian lynx is one of Europe’s largest predators. And, of course, it is endangered. Actually, I teach English here in Poland and this is the first animal that comes to mind for many of my students when we start talking about endangered species — this or the European bison, which is the symbol of a popular Polish beer.

A ban on hunting lynx was put in place in 1995 and has helped the species to recover a bit, but there are still only 200 lynx in Poland. In an effort to increase this tiny population, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) intends to introduce lynx from Estonia into Polish forests beginning in February 2011.

Lynx have mostly been threatened by hunting and habitat loss. In Estonia, it is estimated that approximately 100 are illegally killed each year for their fur.

The cost of relocating one lynx from Estonia to Poland is estimated to be 10,000 Polish Zloty, which the WWF accurately reports is about 8 times more than the average minimum wage here.

“The lynx’s survival is at stake in Poland. With the transfer of animals from Estonia, we hope to repopulate the forests and prevent the species from extinction in the country,” said Pawel Sredzinski, leader of the WWF Poland Lynx Campaign.

Hopefully this lynx relocation effort will help this beautiful, endangered species to recover in Poland.

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4. Last Remaining Tigers Living in Six Percent of Available Habitat

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Photo Credit: guppiecat via flickr (CC license); Patrick Ahles via flickr (CC license)

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