About Film » Partners about us
The Slovak Ministry of Environment participates in this project “Comeback of lynxes” for various reasons. The first one is an excessive decrease of number of lynxes in our forests whereas in the past, lynxes occurred in this area commonly. Slovakia is a country with beautiful nature characterized by high biodiversity, variety of plant and animal species. However, most of them slowly disappear because of insensitive human activities. It is our responsibility to protect natural heritage and preserve it for next generations. The Ministry, as a central office of state administration, supports and protects wild animals and thus we are pleased that we can participate in the project the main aim of which is the return of two lynx cubs to the wild. Everybody has to realize that we are not kings of the nature, just its managers whose have to be a good administrator as well as protector.
Another reason for participating in the project called “Comeback of lynxes” is to increase the environmental knowledge of people and all society and, in long term, the Ministry of Environment of Slovak Republic considers this as one of its priority. Films surely belong to informal ways of spreading of environmental ideas. Furthermore, this project is also a suitable and effective manner of environmental education for children and young and the film about lynxes offers them a unique possibility to know this animal, its feeding manners or adapting to the nature.
I decided to support a good idea of returning two endangered carnivores to the nature. I think that, similarly to man, also animals need their home. For Líza and Muro, their home is a forest which they belong to. I hope that both young lynxes will be successful in returning to their home and they will negotiate all possible barriers.
Ing. Ján Chrbet
Minister of the Environment of Slovak Republic
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Our support of the project “Comeback of lynxes” is a direct evidence that we do not see the enforcement of the law of game keeping and hunting just as hunting.
The game keeping and hunting is mainly knowledge, care, observance and respect of nature.
Thanks to modern technology, return of the carnivores to the nature can provide us valuable knowledge about the manner of life, diet and breeding.
Surely, the lynx cubs Muro and Líza will find their new home in the forests of the Veľká Fatra Mts. It is symbolic that also foresters, who care for and manage their natural home – forest - thoughtfully, follow them in their way to find home.
Doc. RNDr. Ing. Jozef Minďáš, PhD.
General Manager of the š.p. LESY SR
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
ZOO Ostrava: We support breeding as well as animals in the nature
Why ZOO Ostrava participates in the project “Comeback of lynxes?“ “There are several reasons,” explained Petr Čolas, director of the ZOO.
One of the main tasks of really modern zoological gardens is, in contrast to a not so far past, to contribute as actively as possible to the protection of the world biodiversity. Not only through involvement in saving animals by breeding them under human care (so-called “ex situ”) but also via participating in the project directly in the nature (“in situ”).
The goal of the modern zoological gardens, in accordance with the law of the European Union, is to contribute to preservation of biological diversity of wild animals via their rearing in human care. However, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums also try that all their members participate in the program of animal protection in wild nature. By this way, zoological gardens and aquarium still contribute to the support and protection of wild animals and their habitats.
Therefore, the project “Comeback of lynxes” fits perfectly into the three years old conception of the ZOO Ostrava which aims at supporting certain selected “in situ” projects. Furthermore, I know Mr. Miloš Majda personally for a long time and his contribution in another, for Czech nature very important project “Comeback of golden eagle”, is completely cardinal. One evening was enough to watch several DVDs from the production of Tomáš Hulík and I was possible to make a clear image about what everything he was able to make for spreading of ideas about nature protection. Thus, when the authors of this project addressed to ZOO Ostrava, we did not have any problem to meet their needs as much as possible.
Another program in which ZOO Ostrava, the first zoological garden not only within the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens but also in the whole so-called post-communistic world, participates is the “in situ” project of protection of the rarest primate in the world – Hainan gibbon (Nomascus nasutus hainanus). Another activity includes a project in northwestern Madagascar in the Sahamalza region which is focused on protection of the only primate, excepting man, which has blue eyes – blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur macao flavifrons) as well as the whole regional vulnerable ecosystem and local communities. This project is under support of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Within the Czech Republic, we participate as important partners of the author of the project of Basic organization of the Czech Union of conservationists in Nový Jičín – rescue station and centre of ecological education in Bartošovice, in the most successful running project yet “Return of the golden eagle to Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts.” Of course, it is not everything, conference for teachers of the biology, ecological educational, propagation of the sustainable development, usage of renewable resources of energy, competitions about nature for thousands children every year or more than 250 European barn owls (Tyto alba guttata) which were rear in ZOO Ostrava and then released to the wild nature or dozens of little owls (Athene noctua) reared in ZOO and released to the nature are the best evidence.
Petr Čolas
Director of the ZOO Ostrava
For more information about „in situ“ projects and contribution of ZOO Ostrava in the World Strategy on Nature Protection see www.zoo-ostrava.cz in the section of conservation.
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
ZOO Ostrava participates in the project of returning lynxes to the nature
Thanks to a special concurrence of circumstances we could perform our other dream – we gave the possibility to another animal species to come back to the nature. It looks as a simple concern. However, it is one of the main aims of the zoological gardens. The main aim is to create safeties, reserves for the case that a certain species living in the nature may go extinct. The zoological gardens are successful, especially in the case of mammals as well as birds. Other groups of vertebrates are a little bit forgotten but also this situation in the zoological world changes gradually. In the case of invertebrate animals the situation is not really good and they do not belong to nurslings often.
Thus, if we have rare and endangered animal species in our backup breading, the idea of their return to the nature is exciting. However, there are many questions. First of all, do animals from the rear in the ZOO belong to the specific population occurring in the planned area of release? Since their establishment, the zoological garden made a lot of work in this concern. Big part of rearing animals, usually the rare and endangered ones are managed scientifically via EEP (European Endangered species Programs) or ESB (European Studbook). In both cases, every individual of the given species is controlled and we are able to find out if it belongs to the correct population or subspecies.
Another question is if there is a place where the animal should be released. It is not a simple concern at all. Sometimes I hear from several people, I dare to state that people untouched with this problematic, why we have that animals in the ZOO and why we do not release them to the nature. This question has many aspects but the most important is the fact that even because of this we have to rear animal in human care because the original nature disappear on many places or conditions are so altered that given species does not have a place where to live. Therefore, also numerous reared young, “redundancies” of animals of certain species in the ZOO which often occur thanks to well-managed problematic of the rear, can live all their life “only” in the ZOO.
There are also more questions. Will be the given animal prepared to live in the wild nature? Will we be able to observe its future destiny? Will it be really in safety in its new home before a human factor? Will it be, for a long time, assured a team of enthusiastic specialists who will monitor the next development of the animal? Will the necessary finances be assured?
When we take into account all of it together with experiences from animal rear problematics, knowledge about conditions in that locality, etc. not so many animal species stay for similar projects. Because of this we are happy that we could offer other helping hand excepting our contribution in repatriation of little owls. European barn owls, and golden eagles in Czech Republic and excepting our contribution on project of safety of the rarest primate of the world – Hainan gibbon and to protection of blue-eyed black lemur in Madagascar. And just the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx carpathicus) is that species which meets not so easy criteria which result from question mentioned in introduction.
The lynx is listed in the Red Data Book as near threatened species. In Czech Republic, the lynx is strongly endangered and nowadays, in Slovakia, its abundance still decreases. For lynxes, the European Studbook (ESB) was created and it is managed with skilled coordinator Lars Versteege. Our rearing pair has evincible “rootage” in the Slovak nature. Furthermore, a female, which bred for the first time, had four cubs. It was really good because we could remove two cubs for this project and other two the female nurses itself. For example, if she had only two cubs, we could provide no animal for the project because the female has to nurse a cub itself and for cubs is also important to grow up with sibling, not alone.
Thus, everything succeeded. Both lynxes, the female Liza and the male Muro are now, with an assistance of our friends, preparing for their independent life in their natural environment. For all employees of the ZOO Ostrava I felicitate them a successful comeback to the nature. We are conscious of all risks. It is not sure that both lynxes survive as long as leaving offspring. The nature is full of risks. But in our nature is one risk bigger – human. No coincidence that next year represents the Campaign for protection of the European carnivores which is insured by EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and which all European ZOOs support actively. We hope that also thanks to this campaign we can contribute to that Liza and Muro will grow up to the wild carnivores which will dominate in their forest kingdom.
Jirka Novák
Zoologist of the ZOO Ostrava
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Why Rajec and lynxes?
The reason why the Rajec brand participates in the project Comeback of lynxes is very simple. Naturalism and nature are the main benefits of the spring water Rajec as well as Rajecká valley where the Rajec rises. We are happy that these characteristics of the environment of the Malá Fatra Mts. allow to lynx cubs – Muro and Líza – to come back to the nature from captivity. Thanks to personal approach and experiences, Tomáš Hulík and Miloš Majda gained our confidence. At the same time they induced our regard and admiration of how much of their time, attention and life they invest to the rebirth of something what a man, by his negligence and maybe his ignorance, destroyed. They convinced us that the Malá Fatra Mts. is “patented by nature” and it is also an optimal environment for such unique comeback of the lynxes to the life of wild animals. We are happy that we get a possibility to participate in this project and we hope that thanks to our small share we will contribute in successful final of this, in some moment already touching, story. I am also sure that DVD and the book, which will represent a chronicle of returning lynxes to the wild nature, will support the relationship of viewers to the nature and convince them of responsible behavior during the visiting of natural heritage in Slovakia and in other countries as well.
Lucie Bláhová
Brand manager for the Rajec brand
Kofola Holding a.s.
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................