Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Lynx population appears stable in Switzerland

Lynx walking through snow
The lynx was reintroduced to Switzerland more than 50 years ago. Keystone / David Zalubowski

Monitoring of lynx populations in Switzerland has shown the wild cat still thriving since its reintroduction to the Alpine state.

The KORA Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management organisation recorded 21 lynx inhabiting an area in the northwest canton of Jura.

In addition, five pups from at least four litters were identified using camera traps last winter.

KORA estimates that between 22 and 39 lynx are thriving in the region. This represents a slightly higher population density than 2016, but cameras covered a wider area during the last recording.

More

It is believed the last lynx in the original Swiss Alps population was killed in 1894 after it was hunted into extinction. A reintroduction programme was launched 50 years ago to bring the lynx back to Switzerland.

At least 14 lynx were transferred in the 1970s from the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe to the Swiss Alps, making Switzerland one of the first European countries to endorse a re-introduction of the species, as well as grant it legal protection.

It’s estimated there are now about 250 of the wild cats in Switzerland, consisting of two main populations – one in the northwestern Swiss Alps and the other in the Jura mountains.

Speaking of big cats with tufted ears: at the 2022 World Biodiversity Conference in Davos, we heard about caracal conservation efforts from this South African ecologist and zoologist.


Coming soon Lost Cells A podcast uncovering the human stories behind private stem cell banking's promises and failures. Get notified

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Grand Prix Art for art casters, artists and architects

More

Winners of top Swiss art award announced

This content was published on Felix Lehner, Pamela Rosenkranz and Miroslav Sik have been awarded the Swiss Grand Award for Art/Prix Meret Oppenheim 2025.

Read more: Winners of top Swiss art award announced
Watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

More

Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

This content was published on The watch industry had to contend with a weakening of its exports last year, which reached a volume of CHF25.9 billion ($28.5 billion).

Read more: Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR