first results from camera traps used in winter 2012/13

Prospekt News


Photo 1. A grey wolf (Canis lupus) photographed in the Obruč Mountain range

FIRST RESULTS FROM CAMERA TRAPS USED IN WINTER 2012/13

For the second year running, Public Institution “Priroda”, in cooperation with Prof Kusak, PhD, of the Zagreb Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, has studied lynx occurrence in the western region of Gorski Kotar using automatic cameras, popularly known as camera traps. The photos shot by the cameras, which remained active in the field over the winter, portray a small slice of the hidden life that goes on in the snow-covered forests of Gorski Kotar. The deep cover of snow made it impossible for vehicles to drive along forest roads and logging trails, leaving winter the “sovereign ruler” of peaks, forests and highland meadows. However, the photos below reveal that the mountain was far from empty.

We bring you several shots that can rarely be seen live, considering the way of life and the numbers of these strictly protected species (the lynx and the wolf) in Gorski Kotar.


Photo 2. Lynx (Lynx lynx) – one of the sixty specimens that are estimated to be living in the territory of Croatia.


Photo 3. Grey wolf (Canis lupus) – monitoring wolf tracks in the snow provides us with valuable information about the movements and numbers of this species in a given area.


Photo 4. Wildcat (Felis sylvestris) – despite being a game animal, the wildcat is protected in Gorski Kotar.


Photo 5. Fox (Vulpes vulpes) – a species frequently seen in the forests of Gorski Kotar.