Lynx Returns to Brescia Mountains, Confirmed by Latest Research
The return of the lynx to the high Garda mountains in Brescia is now an established fact. In fact, numerous reports have followed the first sighting of this carnivorous feline on the mountains between Lake Garda and the Vajo d’Ampola.
It was summer 1998 when that lynx specimen was identified on the ridgeline of Monte Caplone, close to nearby Trentino. It could very well be a specimen originating from Trentino, where the species has begun to regain territory, migrating here from Eastern Europe after the species’ extinction across the entire national territory in the early 1900s.
Monitoring activities and confirmations
Bruna Comini, an official from the Azienda Regionale delle Foreste della Lombardia, explains: «From that moment, monitoring and attentive observation by experts began, to keep track of the situation and seek verification. Confirmations were obtained during the winter of that year, with tracks and footprints spotted in the snow.»
Certainty was achieved in recent months: last autumn, the carcass of a vole recently preyed upon by the lynx was collected from an area spanning Brescia and Trentino. Certainty was further established through analysis of the feeding behavior, typical of the lynx and no other predator present in the area.
Finally, additional evidence was gathered during the recently concluded winter. The first indications of the presence, or rather: the return, of the carnivore were confirmed less than two years ago between Malga Lorina and Vajo di Campo, in the Tremosine area.
The collected remains, such as feces and fur, were examined by an expert, Stefano Mayr, a consultant for the Azienda delle Foreste della Lombardia, and subjected to tests at the laboratories of the Centro di ecologia alpina di Trento, which provided the first confirmation.
Subsequently, considering the consistency and number of indications that confirmed the regular presence of a lynx specimen in the area, the Faunal Services of Broscia and Trento were informed, along with the National Institute for Wildlife (Istituto Nazionale della Fauna Selvatica) in Bologna. The search for further information continued.
Symbolic significance and conservation
Stefano Mayr highlights two important aspects of the lynx’s return to the Altogardese territory: biological but also symbolic.
The return of the lynx is associated with that of the golden eagle, the lammergeier, the peregrine falcon, and the Eurasian eagle-owl: this indicates that the presence of these species can be supported by the territory and the existing food chain, “despite the general perception of the poor faunal richness of the Brescia mountains”.
According to Mayr, “the return of the lynx also represents an important challenge for nature conservation in Lombardy”. This is because, if the number of wild ungulates had not increased, the feline would not have returned spontaneously.
“It doesn’t seem coincidental that the area currently within the lynx sighting points coincides with the most fauna-rich sector of the entire region”.