A female lynx discovered dead last month in the canton of Frasne (Doubs) was killed by firearm, according to the results of an autopsy revealed Friday, October 14 by the Dréal of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in a press release.
The investigations, carried out by the French office for biodiversity (OFB) "
concluded unequivocally that there had been an illegal shooting
", lamented to AFP Gilles Moyne, the president of the Center Athénas, a Jura association. of wildlife care, specializing in saving the lynx and advocating for its reintroduction.
A protected species
The discovery of the body of the animal took place on September 16 in this sector of Haut-Doubs.
A judicial inquiry is continuing under the authority of the public prosecutor of Besançon to identify the person or persons responsible "
who is seriously harming the lynx population in France
", according to the Dréal, "
a strictly protected species
".
“
This latent poaching is likely to threaten the species
”, confirms Gilles Moyne, whose association has launched an appeal for witnesses to try to find the author of the shooting.
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After the death of this adult female, “
it is very likely that one or more orphans are lost in the massif
”, also worries Gilles Moyne.
The State has decided to become a civil party, indicated the Dréal.
The last proven case of lynx poaching had already taken place in the Doubs, in December 2020. This offense is punishable by a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment and a fine of 150,000 euros.
France published its first national plan in the spring to protect the Eurasian lynx, which disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century before being reintroduced.
It aims to better protect the largest wild cat in Europe, present in France in the Alps and the Jura, and in very low numbers in the Vosges.
