Rare Lynx Female Rikki Arrives in Harz for European Conservation

Rikki's arrival is a major step for European lynx conservation. She joins a male lynx, forming a breeding pair in the Harz.

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2025 October 16 . 8:03 AM

1 min read

In this image I can see a wolf in the foreground, trees and plants in the background of the image.... — In this image I can see a wolf in the foreground, trees and plants in the background of the image. In the right bottom corner I can see some text.

New female lynx to boost population in the Harz - Rare Lynx Female Rikki Arrives in Harz for European Conservation

A seven-year-old female lynx named Rikki has arrived in the Harz, Germany, from Ukraine. Her relocation aims to establish a breeding population in the region, a significant step for European conservation efforts.

Rikki's journey was complex due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Despite the challenges, she successfully reached her new home in the Harz National Park. She will spend the next four weeks in quarantine before moving into the free-range enclosure at the Rabenklippe in Lower Saxony.

Uwe Jung, the man leading the lynx breeding program in the Harz, welcomes Rikki's arrival. Female lynx are scarce in European breeding programs, making Rikki's presence crucial. She joins a male lynx from Switzerland that arrived in August, completing the breeding pair in the Harz.

Rikki's arrival in the Harz marks a key moment in the region's conservation efforts. She will contribute to a European breeding program, with the goal of repopulating lynx in the wild. After her quarantine, she will join the male lynx in the free-range enclosure, starting the process of creating a new lynx family in the Harz.