IN GORSKI KOTAR, THE TRACKING-COLLARED LYNX IS GIVEN THE NAME “GORAN – ZIP” The woodlands of Gorski Kotar are the habitat of three European large carnivores, the bear, the wolf and the exceptionally threatened lynx, whose population at the national level is estimated at 40 to a maximum of 60 individuals. To ensure the conservation and favourable population levels of these species, Gorski Kotar is included in the European Ecological Network NATURA 2000. The furtive and numerically rare lynx (Lynx lynx) is a species belonging to the cat family. It is characterised by spotted fur in a pattern that is unique to each individual, tufts of hair on its ears and a short tail. The lynx is a territorial and solitary species. In the evening hours of 8 February 2015, a lynx was captured in a cage trap in the Lipovača forest area in the hinterland of Fužine. Early the next morning, “Priroda” rangers Patrik Krstinić and Marko Modrić arrived at the location and promptly notified researchers Prof Josip Kusak, PhD, of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Vedran Slijepčević of the Polytechnic of Karlovac. Upon their arrival, the lynx was sedated, measured and fitted with a tracking collar. The lynx weighted 19.5 kg and was estimated to be four years old. It was given the name Goran – ZiP (Goran as in Gorski Kotar, and ZiP because it is a “resident” of the green-and-blue /in Croatian, zelena i plava – ZiP/ County of Primorje and Gorski Kotar). Public Institution “Priroda” manages the Ecological Network NATURA 2000 in the County of Primorje and Gorski Kotar. To obtain data on the life of this strictly protected species, “Priroda” financed the purchase of a tracking collar that uses a GPS/GSM system to record the locations of the lynx and monitor its movements in the field. Up to date in Croatia, eight lynx have been telemetrically monitored. At present, Goran – Zip is the only lynx in Croatia to be monitored by a satellite collar. During the coming one-year period, we hope to collect valuable data on the lynx’s movements and learn more about the life of lynx in Croatia. Marko Modrić
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