Offspring of Germany's largest cat species
Chemnitz Zoo: Search for a suitable name for little lynx - voting open until 1 September
The Oberrabenstein wildlife enclosure has another offspring. On 4 June, a cub was born to the Carpathian lynx. This is the second offspring for the breeding pair, who have been living together since March 2023. The first veterinary examination carried out recently revealed that the cub is a female.
After 72 days of gestation, the cat usually gives birth to one to five kittens in a sheltered place. These are already hairy, but blind for the first 14 days or so. They are cared for exclusively by their mother, who nurses them for the first five months. They stay with their mother until the following spring. After that, they try to find their own territory. Lynx are solitary animals. In this respect, the male does not participate in the rearing of the young.
The Carpathian lynx is a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Due to its wide distribution, this species is not considered endangered. However, individual subspecies are or were extinct in large parts of Europe. Attempts are now being made to reintroduce them. There are currently around 200 lynxes living in Germany, which is why the species is classified as critically endangered here. This makes the successful breeding of such endangered species all the more important. This species has been successfully kept and bred at the Oberrabenstein game reserve for many years.
Looking for a name - What should the "little brush ear" be called?
A suitable name is now being sought for the little lynx. There are three suggested names to choose from: Svea, Torvi or Thyra.
You can vote at tierpark(at)stadt-chemnitz.de. The name with the most votes wins. Those who have voted for the winning name will be entered into a prize draw for an admission ticket including a short guided tour to the name sponsor. Voting ends on Sunday, 1 September 2024.
Photo: Jan Klösters
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de
Opening hours in summer:
Zoo: 9 am to 7 pm, last admission 6 pm
Game enclosure: 9 am to 6 pm, last admission 5 pm