News

Krle © MESKrle © MES

Krle © MES

Collaring lynx for scientific purposes

Within the BLRP project, our partner MES in North Macedonia is collaring Balkan lynx to gain deeper insights into habitat use and movement patterns of this endangered subspecies. The GPS collars provide crucial information on how these elusive animals traverse their habitats. Since the start of the project, 15 individuals have delivered valuable data through their collars.

Zora

Zora is our 15th captured Balkan lynx in North Macedonia, collared in April 2025. Radio-telemetry shows that she roams the forests of the country’s western region. Weighing...

© ERA © ERA

© ERA

Science

Monitoring prey availability for the Balkan lynx

The Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme (BLRP) is assessing chamois availability in several regions to gain essential insights into the status of one of the most relevant lynx prey species and can lay the groundwork for targeted conservation measures.

This lynx primarily hunts small ungulates such as chamois and roe deer, but it also preys on brown hares, rodents and occasionally foxes. Its survival is closely linked to the pres...

© BLRP© BLRP

© BLRP

Conferences

BLRP goes international

This fall the BLRP was present at two international conferences: At the IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi and at the EUROlynx meeting in Belgium.

EUROLYNX

The lynx team was attending the EUROLYNX meeting (13-15 October 2025), a platform bringing together Europe's lynx research community sharing novel studies and looking i...

EuroNatur employees and members of the European Parliament

Strategic Work

Protecting the Balkan lynx: a European responsibility

An event at the EU Parliament on September 24 2025 in Brussels draws attention to the Balkan lynx. The protection of this rare cat is a benchmark for species conservation in the accession countries.

On 24 September, an event took place in the European Parliament at the invitation of two Member of Parliament, Sebastian Everding and Thomas Waitz, at which various stakeholders fr...

© MES© MES

© MES

Campaigns

Activities on International Lynx Day

Every year on June 11, International Lynx Day is celebrated. On this day, organisations in the lynx’s habitat countries carry out various activities to draw attention to the critical status of the Balkan lynx. In 2025, our partners honoured this special day with various events.

Kosovo: Exhibition of Camera Trap Pictures
Visitors had the opportunity to view unique photos captured by camera traps by the BLRP Partner ERA  – fascinating images that reveal th...

© BLRP© BLRP

© BLRP

Strategic Work

North Macedonia

Meeting in Skopje to Advance Regional Strategy for the Balkan Lynx

A key regional meeting held in Skopje, North Macedonia, in early June 2025 has brought together experts and representatives from the respective ministries from across the Balkans to work on a joint conservation strategy for the critically endangered Balkan lynx.

From 3 to 4 June 2025, 38 participants from across the Balkan lynx range—including North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, Bulgaria, and Bosnia & Herzegovina—...

© MES© MES

© MES

Science

North Macedonia

New Study: First robust density estimates of the Balkan lynx in its core area

A new study published within the framework of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme (BLRP) provides insight into the current status of the critically endangered Balkan lynx in its core area. The study sought to answer a fundamental question: How many Balkan lynx are left in their core habitat, and how has this changed over the past decade?

Over a ten-year period (2013–2023), we monitored the Balkan lynx in the forests and rugged mountains of Mavrovo National Park using camera traps. We recorded nearly 180 detections ...

© MES© MES

© MES

Community Outreach

North Macedonia

Community Outreach in Virovo

As part of its ongoing conservation work, the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme (BLRP) organises community outreach activities in regions where the elusive Balkan lynx roams. One such event took place in May 2025 in the village of Virovo, nestled in the Mountain range in North Macedonia.

These community activities are usually held alongside lynx monitoring sessions and aim to build trust and lasting relationships with local communities. By sharing insights into lyn...

© MES© MES

© MES

Science

North Macedonia

BLRP Collars New Lynx Named Zora

In early April 2025 a healthy adult female lynx was captured in North Macedonia and fitted with a GPS collar for scientific monitoring.

Weighing 15.5 kilograms, this individual was given the name Zora – the Macedonian word for «dawn». Zora is the 15th Balkan lynx to be radio-collared since the beginning of the BLRP...

© PPNEA© PPNEA

© PPNEA

Campaigns

Albania

#NatureLynxUs: Awareness campaign on the streets of Tirana

Since 27 September 2024, a mural dedicated to the endangered Balkan lynx has been part of Tirana's urban landscape. Painted on Vasil Shanto Primary School, one of the city's busiest intersections, the #NatureLynxUs mural combines art, conservation and community engagement to raise awareness of this critically endangered species.

A mural with a mission

The mural, created by artist Franko Dine, depicts the Balkan lynx with the slogan "Nature Lynx Us". The pun emphasises the connection between man and natu...