Published on 25/12/2024 22:23
Updated on 25/12/2024 22:34
Reading time: 2min – video: 3min
Jura: the lynx, an endangered species
Jura: the lynx, an endangered species
(France 2)
Hit on the road or killed by bullets, the few lynx remaining on French soil are threatened. The Athénas center, located in the Jura, collects injured specimens to treat them, before releasing them into the wild.
The lynx is the largest wild cat in Europe. Meeting him is magical but extremely rare. There are only around 200 of them in France, very threatened, primarily because of road collisions. Aline Glineur knows something about this. Three months ago, she was driving in the Jura when, suddenly, she saw a shape in the middle of the road. The animal had just been hit by another car. She stops on the side of the road. The female lynx is injured and semi-conscious: “I carried it, didn’t think twice, and put it in my car.” It was a young lynx of four months. She was quickly taken care of by the Athénas center, the only structure in France capable of treating lynx, located near the town of L'Étoile.
One of his legs is broken, he needs surgery. An intervention never performed on a lynx, but it is a success. The little female survives. The Athénas center calls it Praline. The convalescence lasts several months and Praline has difficulty climbing, she limps. But today everything is fine. She is still gaining strength with other lynxes who are cared for like her. Praline will be released in the spring. Around thirty lynx have found freedom in the forests of Jura after being cured. Some females have even given birth to young. However, other threats weigh on the species.
Watch the full report in the video above.
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