Overview
- A forester found a detached lynx skull in a plastic bag at a forest entrance near Hessisch-Lichtenau, a discovery made at the end of April and reported after genetic results arrived.
- Genetic analysis by the Senckenberg Centre identified the skull as a wild male related to the Harz lynx population and ruled out origin in illegal private keeping.
- Local conservation groups handed the find to the Hessian state monitoring authority, which sent the skull to the Institute of Veterinary Pathology at Freie Universität Berlin for detailed forensic examination of cause of death.
- Police opened a report for a possible violation of Germany’s animal protection law and transferred the matter to the Staatsanwaltschaft Kassel, which has not named any suspect.
- The lynx is a strictly protected, threatened species in Germany, so every confirmed death is a notable loss for the small regional population and could lead to criminal charges if the forensic work indicates illegal killing.