Lynx
The first lynx observations after extinction were made in Liechtenstein in 2004. Since then, between two and three adult lynx have been recorded each year, mainly on the slopes and in the Alpine region of Liechtenstein. This number has been stable for several years.
The female "Heia", which was released back into the wild as an orphaned young lynx in Maienfeld in 2011, was able to establish itself in the border region. Thanks to monitoring using wildlife cameras, "Heia" has been found with cubs seven times in recent years (as of spring 2024).
Lynxes are not a threat to humans. Conflicts arise at most from attacks on livestock.
You can find more information on the topic of livestock protection in the chapter "Wolf"
Evidence of lynx
Lynxes are monitored by the Office of Environment with wildlife cameras. Their territories extend beyond the national border. The size of a female's home range is around 90 square kilometers, that of a male around 150 square kilometers.
On the KORA website you can see the lynx records for Liechtenstein and Switzerland as well as in the Alps, the Upper Rhine metapopluation and the Dinaric Mountains
Martin Vogt
Dominik Frick
Olivier Nägele
+423 236 74 10 / +423 799 74 10
+423 236 61 98 / +423 799 61 98
+423 236 64 02 / +423 799 64 02
Lynx records in the neighboring canton of Graubünden are published on the website of the Office for Hunting and Fishing and can be accessed via the following link:
Lynx records in Austria are published on the website of the Austrian Bear Wolf Lynx Center and can be accessed via the following link:
Lynx records for the whole of Europe are collected and published by the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (IUCN/SSC Specialist Group):
Reports made as part of lynx monitoring are evaluated and divided into 3 categories according to their significance and verifiability. The so-called SCALP criteria are used for this. These were developed for the "Conservation of the Alpine Lynx Population" (SCALP) project with the aim of standardized, transnational lynx monitoring in the Alps so that the reference data can be compared with each other. These criteria were also adopted for detections of wolves and bears.
Category C1 evidence - the C stands for "Category" - is reliable evidence ("hard facts") that clearly confirms the presence of an animal. This category includes (clear) photos, genetic evidence (saliva, droppings), dead finds, live catches or data from telemetry tracking.
Category C2 evidence is confirmed evidence by persons with appropriate training. This involves cracks (livestock and wildlife) and tracks that can be verified and confirmed in the field or by means of meaningful documentation.
Category C3 evidence is unconfirmed evidence; evidence of the predator in question can neither be confirmed nor ruled out, e.g. if the evidence is too old, insufficient or incompletely documented. C3 evidence includes unverified or unverifiable cracks, tracks and droppings and also all unverifiable evidence such as vocalizations or visual observations without photographic or video evidence. The category can be divided into subcategories such as "probable" and "unlikely".
Random observations from the public are an important source of information, as many people are out and about in nature every day. Among the C3 reports, there are always those in which an animal is mistaken for a lynx. Nevertheless, such reports are important for the Office of Environment and are routinely recorded in a database. In combination with C2 or C1 detections, C3 reports can also provide important conclusions about the probable appearance and behavior of lynxes
Contact persons
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Olivier Nägele Olivier.Naegele@llv.li +423 236 6402