Hystrix It. J. Munirn. (n.s.) 12 (2) (2001): 31-37

PRESENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LYNX (LYNXLYNX) IN

THOMAS HUBER", JENSLAASS" AND THOMAS ENGLEDER""

* Tassach 13, 9542 Afritz, Austria Fiirbergasse 2, 3233 Kilb, Austria ** 6a, 41 71 Haslach, Austria

ABSTRACT -To assess the present status and distribution of the lynx in the Austrian we analysed documented reports on lynx presence for the period 1995 to 1999. Records on lynx presence in Austria were collected by the hunter's associations of , , and , regional NGO's and wildlife biologists. For this five-year period, I06 records of lynx presence were documented for the Austrian Alps. Of these we classified 100 as Quality 3 data (unconfirmed prey remains, tracks and observations) and 5 as Quality 2 data (confirmed prey remains). The only hard fact (Quality 1 data) in the Austrian Alps was a male lynx killed on a highway in southern Salzburg in 1995. From these reported signs of lynx presence we concluded that 20 years after the first reintroductions there still is no estab- lished lynx population in the Austrian Alps. The reports rather indicate a few individuals scattered over a wide area. As the monitoring of the Austrian lynx population is more a passive and arbitrary collection of reports than a systematic monitoring, we believe that the distribution reported here is likely underes- timating the actual distribution of the lynx in the Austrian Alps. Therefore we emphasise the need to es- tablish a new systematic monitoring system covering the entire potential lynx habitat in Austria.

Key words: Ly.yrzx lyrzr, monitoring, distribution, Austria.

INTRODUCTION poor in quantity and quality, but reports were Intensive persecution was the main cause for received sparsely though continuously from the extirpation of the lynx in the Austrian Alps western Styria and southern Salzburg. Huber during the second half of the 19t11century and Kaczensky (1998) concluded that up to (Eiberle, 1972). 100 years later the lynx was 1995 the reported evidence still indicated some returned to the Austrian Alps when atlitudes widely distributed individuals rather than an towards the large predators had apparently established population twenty years after the changed. To re-establish the Austrian Alpine reintroduction of lynx into the Austrian Alps. lynx population, nine individuals were re- Following the re-introduction of 18 lynx in- leased into Styria between 1976 and 1979 to the Czech Bohemian Forest in 1982-1989 (Festetics et al., 1980). Records of lynx pres- (Bufka and Cerveny, 1996) sightings and lynx ence collected in the following years docu- kills were recorded along the Czech-Austri- ment that the released lynx had dispersed in an border. First signs of lynx presence were different directions. Reported signs of lynx reported from forested areas along the border presence indicated a few scattered individu- in 1988, numbers of reports have continual- als rather than an established population (Gos- ly increased since then (Huber, 1995). Since sow and Honsig-Erlenburg, 1986). In later the middle of the 1990's lynx presence is well years reports on lynx presence concentrated documented for the region, forming a part of on the of Carinthia, where the district's the Bohemian lynx population. hunter's association collected data on lynx We describe the development of the Austrian occurrence. Data from other regions was rather lynx population for the years 1995 to 1999 as 32 T. Huber et al. concluded from submitted reports on lynx Upper Austria as hunters were trained in the presence. Based on this data we try to give identification of lynx signs in 1999, when an recommendations for future actions required increasing number of wildlife kills by lynx to reach a level of data collection compara- was reported from the northern part of the dis- ble to the other countries of the Alpine range. trict. Aside from the hunter’s associations, data on LEGAL SITUATION the distribution of lynx was collected by the All nine districts (Bundeslander) of Austria Austrian Youth Association for the Protection regulate hunting separately. Lynx are listed in of the Environment in Haslach (ONJ Haslach) all nine district’s hunting laws as a species for the northern part of Upper Austria, the with a year-round closed season. Special per- Kalkalpen National Park for the southeastern mits to shoot a lynx can be issued by the dis- part of Upper Austria, wildlife biologists Mar- trict authorities on request, but have so far tin Forstner and Thomas Huber for the north- never been demanded. Illegal killings of lynx western part of and Carinthia are rumoured to have occurred, but there is respectively, and the Austrian League for the little evidence. protection of Nature (ONB) for Salzburg. Al- Compensation for damages on livestock by though a large number of people were in- lynx again is regulated separately for each dis- volved, the intensity of data collection was trict. In Carinthia and in Styria compensation rather low, with many areas ofpotential lynx is paid by an insurance maintained by the dis- habitat not being covered. trict’s hunter’s associations. For compensa- All these institutions and groups have in com- tion to be paid, a damage has to be verified mon that data collection is more of a passive by someone trained in the identification of arbitrary collection of data rather than a sys- lynx signs. If depredations by lynx occur in tematic active monitoring for the species. Most any other district, a variety of funds are avail- of the reports have not been re-examined by able to provide compensation payment for people with a detailed knowledge of the livestock lost. species. A later assessment regularly proved difficult as many records were poorly docu- METHODS AND DATA COLLECTION mented. When scientific monitoring of the released For this report we collected accounts on lynx lynx ended in 1982, so did any systematic da- presence for the years 1995 to 1999 from all ta collection on the distribution of lynx in Aus- organisations that to our knowledge collect tria. The collection of records on lynx pres- such data. We classified all received records ence in Austria is since then essentially de- according to SCALP-standards (Molinari- pendent on varying efforts by the hunter’s as- Jobin etnl., in prep.). We distinguished three sociations of Carinthia, Styria, Salzburg and levels of reliability according to the possibil- lately Upper Austria. To prevent misuse of ity to verify the observation. Quality I (QI) compensation funds, hunters trained in the data represent “hard facts”, e.g. lynx found identification of lynx kills have to confirm the dead, lynx captured, or photographed. Qual- kill and keep record of all cases. Besides, ity 2 (Q2) data represent livestock or wildlife members of the hunting associations were kills as well as tracks examined by a person asked to report all signs of lynx presence, As with profound knowledge of lynx. Quality 3 most training-sessions on the identification (43) data represent prey remains and tracks of lynx signs have been conducted in the ear- reported but not confirmed by people that had ly 1990’s, the knowledge base for reliable special training in the identification of signs identification of signs of lynx presence has to of lynx presence. Furthermore reports on ob- be considered rather poor for most regions of servations, vocalisations and scats were clas- Austria. The situation is a little different for sified into this category. A few records that Status of the ljnx 111 Austria 33

Table 1 - Number of records collected on the Alpine lynx population in Austria and on the Austrian part of the Bohemian lynx population from 1995-1999, categorised into the three classes of data quality.

Data quality Alpine population Bohemian population Total

QUALITY 1 lynx found dead I 2 3 capture photo TOTAL I 2 3

QUALITY 2 prey remains 4 62 66 tracks 1 53 54 TOTAL 5 115 120

QUALITY 3 prey remains 44 44 88 tracks 21 21 42 sightings 35 59 94 TOTAL 100 I24 224

TOTAL 106 24 1 347

seemed highly unlikely were rejected from case of depredation by lynx was confirmed the analysis when we re-examined the records and therefore included into analysis as Qual- for this reports. ity2 data. The only “hard fact” (Q1 data) re- Although lynx reported from the northern re- ported for this five-year period was a male gions of Upper and Lower Austria, north the lynx found dead on a highway in southern River, are considered part of the Bo- Salzburg in 1995 (Fig. 2). To assess trends in hemian lynx population, we will report on the the annual number ofreported lynx signs we development of reports on lynx from this re- were restricted to data from Carinthia, the dis- gion, as we consider it important for an under- trict with the longest record of comparable standing of the situation of the lynx in Austria. data. Table 2 shows that the number of records documented decreased constantly since a peak RESULTS in the early 1990’s to present. In these years From 1995 to 1999, 106 plausible records on the number of reported records decreased from the presence of lynx were reported from the 78 in 1991, to 7 in 1999, the lowest number Austrian Alps (Fig. 1). Most records received of records ever recorded within a year. concerned unconfirmed kills and observations Because ofthe low number of Ql and Q2 da- of lynx and were therefore classified as Qual- ta we base the description of the distribution ity 3 data. We recorded 100 reports of Qual- of lynx in Austria on all reported records with ity 3 for the years 1995 to 1999 (Table 1). Five the exception of single unconfirmed kills or records were classified as Quality 2 data. Dur- observations. Nevertheless reports were wide- ing the whole five-year period 21 cases of ly distributed over the Austrian Alps, show- depredation on livestock by lynx were reported ing only a few clear concentrations of lynx and compensated for in the districts of signs (Fig. I). 52 records were reported for Carinthia and Styria. Of all those only one Carinthia. The Hohe Tauern, Gailtaleralpen 34 T. Huber et al and Nockberge in the north-western part of Table 2 - Lynx observations (sightings,kills, tracks) Carinthia, as well as the Karnische Alpen collected in Carinthia (Austria) 1985-1999 by along the Carinthian/Italian border seem to means of questionnaires distributed by the hunters be centres of lynx activity. For Styria reports association. (n= 28) were concentrated around the former Year Lynx observations reported release area in the Niedere Tauern and in the eastern part of the Nordliche Kalkalpen. In 1985 17 the district of Salzburg half of the district’s 1986 24 eight reports centred on the Osterhorn-range 1987 26 1988 19 close to the city of Salzburg. A single plausi- 1989 50 ble record was reported from Lower Austria 1990 50 as well as . Aremarkable increase in re- I991 78 ported lynx observations and other lynx signs 1992 52 was observed in Upper Austria. Although lynx 1993 24 signs had been reported from nearby regions 1994 20 in Styria earlier, no records had been report- 1995 19 ed prior to 1995 from the Upper Austrian 1996 11 Kalkalpen. During this five-year period 16 1997 7 1998 8 records originated from Kalkalpen National 1999 7 Park and surrounding areas. As confirmation of prey remains proved difficult, we had to categorise all prior reports as Q3 data. But it situation of the lynx in the Austrian Alps has has to be noted that both in 2000 and early not changed much since the last SCALP report 2001 a lynx was photographed by a camera 1990-1995 (Huber and Kaczensky, 1998). The trap in the Kalkalpen national park, yielding records still give no reliable evidence for the the only Q1 record for 2000 for the Austrian existence of an established lynx population in Alps. A number of confirmed wild prey re- the Austrian Alps more than twenty years after mains (42) were reported as well for the re- the first releases. Gathered reports are distrib- gion in 2000. uted over most parts of the Austrian Alps with In contrast to the situation in the Alps, a con- the exception of the most western regions of tinuing increase in reported lynx signs from and Tyrol. Afew wide-ranging, soli- the Bohemian lynx population could be ob- tary individuals could nevertheless be respon- served. For the time period 1995 to 1999,241 sible for the observed distribution of the re- plausible records on lynx presence were not- ported signs of lynx presence. This interpreta- ed for northern regions of Austria (Table l), tion is supported by the almost complete lack including a high number of Q2 data, 115 of hard facts (Q1 data) for the entire period of records. Two lynx were found dead in the 1995- 1999. The last confirmed reproduction north-western part of Upper Austria. Both dates back to 1993 (see Huber and Kaczensky, were young of the year, providing a good in- 1998). The last documented mortality was re- dication for reproduction in the area. Anoth- ported in 1995. Breitenmoser (1998) reported er kitten was shot accidentally in the same re- much higher numbers of lynx found dead for gion in 2000 (Engleder, 2001). the established lynx populations in and Switzerland. In contrast to the Alpine pop- DISCUSSION ulation, the population of the Bohemian Forest Within a five-year period 106 records on lynx seems to be striving. Two dead kittens report- presence were recorded for the Austrian Alps. ed within five years and I 15 data points of Qual- The low number of records and the scattered ity 2 seem to confirm this assessment. The con- distribution of these records indicate that the siderable difference in the number of 42 data Status of the lynx in Austria 35

Figure 1 - Distribution of all records reported on lynx presence in Austria for the five-year period 1995- 1999. Circles represent reports on the Alpine region, triangles represent reports on the Bohemian lynx , population (forest cover in dark grey).

between Alps and Bohemian population is pos- and supported experts in the examination ofre- sibly not only explained by differences in lynx ported signs-numbers of reports increased rapid- densities. The are more densely ly. When public awareness of the issue and sup- forested, less accessible and for most regions port for the expert groups resided in the mid- much less densely populated by humans than dle of the 1990’s, so did the number of reports the or the range of the Bohemian as seen for the last five-year period reported. lynx population in Austria. Secondly, public All of these factors reduce the probability that awareness, knowledge of the species and on the signs of lynx presence are found (see Stahl and fact that reports on lynx signs are being col- Vandel, this volume). Consequently we think lected is much more common in the range of that the distribution of lynx is likely to be un- the Bohemian population. How much the num- derestimated for the Austrian Eastern Alps. ber of lynx signs reported is dependent on ex- The biggest problem hindering a reliable as- isting management or research projects, the sessment of the situation for lynx in the Aus- commitment of single persons and the public trian Alps are deficits in the present way signs awareness of the species, is demonstrated by of lynx presence are recorded and collected. the development of report numbers from the There is no extensive network of persons able district of Carinthia (Table 2). The Carinthian to confirm reports and no nation-wide uni- hunter’s association has continuously collect- form system of data collection and categori- ed records on lynx presence since 1982. The sation. No data were collected for large areas development in the number of reports very much of the Austrian Alps (especially Tyrol and follows the public’s and the hunter’s awareness southern Lower Austria) and for most areas of the species. High numbers of lynx reports no records were examined thoroughly, re- were reported from 1989 to 1992 when a con- sulting in a large proportion of unconfirmed siderable number of sheep were found dead and records. Consequently the establishment of an information campaign on lynx was carried an exhaustive monitoring system as well as a out. When the district hunter’s association ini- renewed public awareness campaign has to tiated courses in the identification of lynx signs be a priority for Austria. Reliable data on dis-

Status of the lynx in Austria 37 the protection of Nature and KORA. We thank A. nachweise aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach un- Molinari-Jobin and J. Linnell for beneficial re- terschatzt. Daher sehen wir den Aufbau eines views. systematischen Monitorings als wesentlich- stes Ziel fur die nachsten Jahre an. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Osterreich hat Anteile an zwei getrennten Luch- REFEREENCES spopulationen. Im Norden Osterreichs, ent- lang der osterreichisch/tschechischenPopula - Breitenmoser, U., 1998. Recovery of the tion, werden seit Mitte der 90’er Jahre immer Alpine lynx population: Conclusions from wieder Luchse nachgewiesen, diese werden the first SCALP report. Council of Eu- der Bohmischen Population zugeordnet. Luch- rope, Environmental encounters, 38: 135- snachweise sudlich der Donau konnen der Al- 144. penpopulation zugeschrieben werden. Um die Buf’ka, L. and Cerveny, J., 1996. The lynx Situation des Luchses in Osterreich einzu- (Lynx lynx L.) in the Sumava region, south- schatzen, haben wir die raumliche und zeitli- west . J. Wildl. Re., l(2): 167- che Verteilung dokumentierter Luchsnach- 170. weise analysiert. Luchsnachweise werden in Eiberle, K., 1972. Lebensweise und Bedeu- Osterreich lokal von den Landesjagerschaften tung des Luchses in der Kulturlandschaft. der Bundeslander Karnten, Steiermark, Obero- Mammalia depicta (Beih. Z. Saugetierkd.) sterreich und Salzburg bzw. von Umwelt- 8: 1-65. schutzorganisationen und Wildbiologen ge- Engleder, T., 2001. Ein Habitatmodell fur den sammelt. Fur die Periode 1995-1999 wurden Luchs (Lynx lynx L.) in der 3-Lander-Re- im Norden Osterreichs 241 (Ql: 2, 42: 115, gion Bohmerwald. Diploma thesis Univ. 43: 124) Hinweise auf Luchse der Bohmi- Wien: 1-71. schen Population dokumentiert. Im gleichen Festetics, A,, Von Berg, F.C. and Sommerlat- Zeitraum wurden im Osterreichischen Alpen- te, M., 1980. Die Wiedereinburgerung des raum 106 Nachweise (Q1 : 1, Q2: 5,Q3: 100) Luchses in Osterreich. - Ein Forschungs- erbracht. Aufgrund der raumlichen und zeit- und Artenschutzprojekt. In: Festetics, A. lichen Verbreitung der Hinweise schliessen (ed.): Der Luchs in Europa. Kilda Verlag, wir, dass selbst 20 Jahre nach den ersten Wie- Greven: 268-284. dereinburgerungen immer noch keine etablierte Gossow, H. and Honsig-Erlenburg, P., 1986. Luchs-Population im Bereich der Oster- Management problems with the re-intro- reichischen Alpen vorhanden ist. Die doku- duced lynx in Austria. Proc. Intern. Symp. mentierten Nachweise weisen viel mehr auf “Cats of the World”. Nat. Wildl. Fed. einzelne Individuen hin, die uber weite Be- Washington D.C.,: 77-83. reiche der Osterreichischen Alpen verteilt sind. Huber, T., 1995. Luchse in Osterreich - zuriick- Allerdings ist das Monitoring des Luchses in gebracht und eingewandert. Stapfia 37, Osterreich viel mehr eine passive Sammlung Kat. Oberosterr. Landesmuseums N.F., 84: von Zufallsbeobachtungen als ein systemati- 269-275. sches Monitoring. Deshalb wird die aktuelle Huber, T. and Kaczensky, P. 1998. The situ- Verbreitung des Luchses in Osterreich durch ation of the lynx (Lynx lynx) in Austria. die hier prasentierte Verteilung der Luchs- Hystrix, 10( 1): 43-54.