– Lynx Horaj from Roztocze has come a long way and explored the Świętokrzyskie forests – inform the nature association “wolf”. The animal became famous in December 2019, when – after its mother died under the wheels of a car near Harbin – the surviving little lynx was transported to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Bielsko Biawa. He was released a few months ago. Thanks to the telemetry collar with a GPS transmitter, scientists can follow his activities, and we can learn the continuation of this story.
Read: Moths: Lynx Horag hunt deer and hares [FILM]
Lynx Horag was released in 2020 near the village of Obruch in the buffer zone of Rosetta National Park – says André Voitau, Acting Director of Rostosh National Park. Practically throughout the summer he stayed in the garden, as well as in the nearby fields and forests. At the end of October or early November, he decides to move west.
– He went to Janovsky for a week – says the president of the Nature Society “Wolf”, Dr. Sabina Nowak. We thought it would stay there, because it’s a good habitat for lynx. However, he returned to Roztocze. Then suddenly he started wandering around again. He got very close to Kraśnik. Then she turned sharply to the west. He has come to the place where the San River flows into the Vistula. It seemed he wanted to cross one of these rivers. It took him a long time to make his decision. In the end, he found a suitable place to cross our largest river – the Vistula River.
– Haraj is very skilled at overcoming obstacles – notes Dr. M. Robert Mysłajek of the Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology of the University of Warsaw. – He has a broken road space in front of him. Interestingly, employees inspected where the Lynx crossed the Vistula River. It turned out that he had to cover more than 100 meters of water in severe frosts. This gives us insight into his physical condition.
Read: The rescued lynx has returned home. Horag again in Roztocze
– He reached the other side and continued west until he finally reached więtokrzyska Forest – adds Dr. Sabina Nowak. There he managed to penetrate and hunt for a long time. Every day he sends us a brand new information package for us. They showed that lynxes, like wolves, could wander far away.
– We are happy that it survived in all ways – says Andrzej Wojtyło. He covered the living and local areas and national roads of the time. Fortunately, he avoided road accidents and he is fine.
– After his release, Horag was fully adapted to live in the wild again – confirms Dr. Przemiswave Stachira from Rostoosh National Park. – This happened for two reasons. First, like any animal, it has certain things encoded, and this is what it must do to survive. Second, the time he spent in the wildlife rehabilitation facility was directed by professionals so that the lynx would not come into contact with humans. It also did not feed on a pre-manufactured giblets, but in a way that preserved the inherited gut. He knew more or less what was going on on the runway and what to do about it. He handled it well and transported it to an unforgiving natural space, where he does not hold back – the strongest remain alive.
Read: Lynx Horaj is back in his hometown
It was known that he was resting, and that he was looking for something, because parts of a small rodent had probably appeared. It started with that – says Dr. Przemislav Stachira. Soon after his release, maybe less than a month, he hunted a deer and a hare himself. Later on, deer began to dominate the list. Being in Roztocze, Horag has been doing an amazing job. It must be remembered that he suffered a trauma: losing a nursing mother and then staying in a rehabilitation center was stressful for the animal. Lynx loves space, and was limited in the resort. His release was also cumbersome. So he went through many stressful situations in the short term. In my opinion, it turned out to be very good.
– He will face a huge challenge in adulthood with capital “D”, because he will definitely want to find a partner and he will have to defend the area he finds against other Lynx, which may try to prevent him from operating freely – adds Dr. Przemislav Stashira. Childhood is over. It was not easy. An adult lynx (Horag is about two years old), which still faces many challenges, lives a long time lynx, up to 20 years. May Horag live to his old age.
Read: A rescued lynx does well
In the material, I heard the sounds of calls made by Horag himself – from the time he was at the wildlife rehabilitation center.
AlF / WM
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