The first systematic monitoring of the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) throughout its range in Slovenia was conducted between 2018 and 2022 which enabled us to obtain the first reliable data on the lynx population size in Slovenia. The main method of monitoring is the use of camera traps, an activity coordinated by the Slovenian Forest Service and carried out in cooperation with local hunting grounds and the University of Ljubljana. The key information obtained through camera trapping is the identity of the photographed lynx, as each individual has a unique pattern on its fur. The images from the cameras can thus be used to directly count how many different individuals are present in the monitored area, giving an indication of the minimum size of the population. During the three monitoring seasons, i.e. between 2018 and 2021, which follow the lynx breeding cycle, 19 to 24 adult lynx were detected in Slovenia. We also regularly coordinate and compare lynx data with data from neighbouring Croatia, allowing us to monitor lynx at the level of a signifcant part of the Dinaric part of the Dinaric South-East Alpine lynx population.
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