A Balkan lynx is found dead in Bjeshke and Nemuna, it is suspected to have been killed

The organization "Environmentally Responsible Action" (ERA) has found the body of a Balkan lynx without signs of life in the national park Bjeshket e Nemuna.

"The Food and Veterinary Agency of Kosovo (AUV) has responded to ERA that the body is decomposed and a full autopsy cannot be performed. The causes of death are not yet known," says the ERA communiqué.

The Mayor of Peja Municipality, Gazmend Muhaxhiri, and the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning also reacted on this occasion.

"The Lynx Recovery Program Network (BLRP) suspects that the lynx has been killed. The physical position of the dead lynx on the branch seems unnatural", says ERA in the press release.

After finding the body, the ERA requested to send the body by official order to the laboratory of the AUV, Department of Pathology and Histology.

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"They have accepted the body but have confirmed that it is a lynx and have evaluated the body as decomposed. For further analysis, ERA has taken samples of the genetic material and they will be sent to Switzerland", says ERA, reports Koha.net.

The Mayor of Peja Municipality, Gazmend Muhaxheri, said that the lynx that lives in Kosovo is a rare species for the whole world.

"I feel very worried that we have lost a lynx. As president, I will do my best to preserve this world value", Muhaxheri is quoted as saying.

The Ministry of Environmental Planning and Spatial Planning has also reacted to the case, which has also expressed concerns about the legal status of the lynx in Kosovo.

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"The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning shared the same concern with the organization 'Environmentally Responsible Action (ERA)', the lynx is a fully protected species and its hunting is strictly prohibited by the Criminal Code of Kosovo, where article 359, paragraph 4 provides punishment of 3 months to 3 years imprisonment for anyone who hunts endangered or rare species of animals. The MESP appeals to all citizens of Kosovo to report any suspicious hunting activity against rare species protected by the laws of Kosovo", says the MESP response.

This year marks 5 years since ERA has been inventorying wild animals with a focus on the Balkan lynx. In 2015, ERA within the BLRP program confirmed the existence of lynx in Kosovo and so far ERA says that only two lynx have been confirmed. The 2018-19 season of the monitoring program will begin in October.