“There are no more and more lynxes in France,” according to Olivier Guder, vice-president of the FERUS association, which works to protect lynx, wolf and bear.
The species is even considered “endangered”.
While there are no precise data on the number of lynxes in France, the most recent estimates show around 150 individuals, including around 100 in the Jura massif.
Read also Doubs: in the middle of the night, a motorist crosses paths with a family of lynxes on her way
But it is no coincidence that this motorist from Jura met a family on the road: road collisions are the main source of mortality among lynxes.
They are followed by “illegal destruction”, or poaching.
“Some hunters, unfortunately, consider the lynx as a competing predator, which will kill the deer and chamois that are in their area,” explains Olivier Guder.
Finally, the third cause of mortality is the difficulty for the lynx to move from one forest area to another.
Faced with these dangers, a national action plan in favor of the lynx will be launched in 2022. It aims to better understand the populations of lynx present in France, raise awareness about its preservation, and provide additional resources to investigate illegal destruction.