Diary » Year 2009
01.01.2009 The lynx Líza started to call with the voice of an adult lynx. Today as usually, together with Tomáš, we took Muro to the forest above the cottage. In the forest it was -12°C and it felt like in a fairy tale. The ice coating fell down from the trees gradually and it glittered as small diamonds in sunlight coming through the tree-tops. Approximately after three hours Líza started to bore without Muro so she called him in a low voice. He reacted to her calling immediately and came down from the forest to the pen to check if she is OK. Then he came back to the forest. He ran with Lili, then climbed up to the tree 2-3 m above the ground and he learned how to hide before the dog and to attack her again. After hours spent in the forests, me and Tomáš came back to the cottage completely frozen. Lili come with us. Muro looks that he does not want to go with us. We let him with this idea for next 45 minutes. During that time we leave the photo and video technique inside the cottage where it is warm to acclimatize and then we download the material to the computer. Muro is still in the forest. I started to call him by imitating Líza´s voice. He came to us in two minutes. Then there followed a greeting with Líza – bang with their heads and licking of the hair. Then they lay satisfied in the snow close to each other.
17.01.2009
An approximately 17 years old boy with a camera went around the cottage. He was lucky not to go to the fence. Maybe he counted water birds. He went along the brook down the valley. I observed him if he left. On the road I met pilot Marián Kuchta with his wife. He flew with me during filming of flying sequences for the film about Nízke Tatry Mts. We invited them for a tea. They ski ran to Blatná and back.
18.01.2009
On Sunday evening we have a visit. A fox arrived to hunt our hens. The fox arrived also before to visit Siska and Tomáš. During day I changed a battery on the electric fence and I forgot to turn the new one on. After fox´ attack the hens stampeded and started to cackle. We ran outside the cottage, the fox was in the fence close to the hens. We screamed on it so it ran away. In the back corner of the aviary we saw a ripped feather so the fox was able to catch one of our hens, sleeping close to the wall, through fabric.
This is an important role of the electric fence. As we installed it around the cottage, martens stopped to go to the yard and we saw foxes and other animal species only once. Before installing of the electric fence we saw animals daily. We recommend to all farmers such effective and relatively cheap protection of the yards.
20.01.2009
Muro and Líza do not want to come back from their trips to the surrounding of the cottage as trouble free as before. Muro is more linked to the cottage as Líza. She would like to go out for few days long trips. However, we do not want to risk and we do not allow it to her. We are waiting till they will obtain satellite collars. They have to be ready at the end of February. Colleagues from the Czech Republic and Slovenia provided us neck perimeters of trapped adult lynxes. In females the smallest perimeter represented 27 cm and the biggest one 33 cm, 31 cm in average. In males, the perimeters averaged between 30 and 38 cm, but 34.5 cm in average.
21.01.2009
Till today we waited until our lynxes grow to this mean perimeters and we will be able to mount the collars. However, other dangerous problem occurred – to measure neck perimeters of our lynxes without total anesthesia. Although we move around the lynxes daily, they do not allow us to do it.
22.01.2009
Together with Erika we were thinking how to do it. They did not allow us to stroke them and immediately they hiss as cobras. For man, their 3 cm long claws and teeth represent a danger. We thought up that in a good moment I will take up them gradually by the skin on their neck as the lynx female usually do it in replacement of the cubs.
23.01.2009
In the evening we entertain both lynxes so they play as before. I try to take Líza by her skin on the neck and take her up. This tomboy has such good reflexes that I was not able to do it either for a third time. Later during playing she paid attention and observed me. I had to quit the idea. She let me know it becomingly by growling and hissing. Till that moment I have never heard such voice coming from her. Erika says that here are yours gentle cats and maybe you should call for a help of several specialists who criticize us on the website, she said. I tell her, yes you are true and if the guy left phone contact I would like to ask him for a help.
24.01.2009
The next day we try it again. The lynxes play on the ground in one ravel and we stay around them for one and half hour till I succeeded to take up Líza by the skin on her neck so that she touched the floor only by their limbs. Erika, staying behind me, measured her neck by lace quickly and then I released her. She scowled at me, she did not like it too much. Therefore, the reflex from young age functions also at an older age. The cat or the lynx grabbed for the skin on the neck is almost paralyzed and hangs as kitten without any movement and sound. It is necessary to catch it well because the skin on the neck is very movable so training is needed. Bad contact and the vena on the hand are cut by claws as by knife. We prefer to risk than use anesthesia. After measuring neck perimeters I shortened and sewed the collar of Líza to the perimeter of 30 cm and Muro´s one to 34 cm. And now, who will mount these collars to our gentle lynxes? We risk again as during measurement of their necks. However, I sewed plastic buckles from bag packs to both collars and they allow quick closure and enclosure by one flick. We succeeded to mount the collar only to Líza, it was difficult. I said, it is enough, we mount the other collar to Muro tomorrow.
25.01.2009
In the morning, Líza´s collar with transmitter is OK. A moment later I hear a faint noise. Playing of such big lynxes is already hard and sometimes there are no signs of playing. I looked on the transmitter and I exactly knew what I was talking about. During the fight, Muro plucked it away with his claws on the rear leg so the transmitter was connected to the collar only on one side. The transmitter was not designed for lynxes but I am also surprised by the animal’s power and by sharpness of their claws. It took two more hours till I succeeded to close Líza´s collar. But the purpose was done because we know that the perimeter of the collar 30 cm is good and she tolerated it well. After a moment she forgot that she has something on her neck.
29.01.2009
We brought Líza´s collar to repair. Fortunately, a company and a handy man who readily solves all our problems with technique is close to us.
01.02.2009
Together with Erika we mount the collar to Muro to get him accustomed to it gradually. It is not heavy, it only has 150 grams and radius a 2-3 km. His trips to the field will be more safe.
03.02.2009
The “spring” arrived. Everything melts down. At 11:00 p.m. are 2 degrees of Celsius and around the midnight already three degrees. The weather is crazy.
04.02.2009
Today, we ordered 3 photo traps to record occurrence of wild animals. We are already looking forward to install them in chosen places.
08.02.2009 Approximately for one week we observe a change in the behavior of the lynxes to the dog female Lili. Especially Muro starts to be more tolerant and he did not attack her with his claws. He observes Lili carefully how she tracks the animals during the trips and he also rolls in the scats of deer as Lili. In the forest, they go away from me for 150 meters to right, left and they go close to me again. When I decide to go back, they turn with me back to the cottage. However, during our returns Muro preferred more to pass the brook through the water and Lili through the bridge. When Muro hesitates and stays in the water reaching almost to his neck, Lili sometimes comes back on the bridge three times and showed him the most suitable way. Sometimes Muro decides to go on the bridge. 09.02.2009
12.02.2009
30 cm of new snow fell down. It is a powder snow in which we can walk almost silently in the forest. Now I plan trips with lynxes before lunch and we come back usually in dark. Also the lynxes conform it. Together with Lili we walk up to the steep slope of spruce forest. Sometimes the wind moves trees so kilos of snow fall down on us. We see nothing until the snow falls. Lila is approximately 25 m before me and Muro walks 10 m rightwards. I was surprised by loud dog bark. In the snow two animals pursue before me. It is a wild boar attacking Lili which surprised it in the forest. But she is not scared and she attacks it when it turns. Immediately I put a tripod on the ground and install the video camera. It lasts only a moment but I already did not see Muro close to me.
Lila chased the boar away to the side valley but she did not venture to follow it. Now I see Muro close to Lili how he tries to participate. He was not afraid of the boar although he saw it for the first time. The boar goes up to the slope of the side valley slowly, sometimes it looks back. When I come to the place of the incident I find that the boar was so interested in nagging in the ground that it did not observe the dog staying behind its back. However, Lila obeys my orders and if I called her she did not follow it. Surprisingly Muro occurs close to Lili as her mother and he does not go anywhere alone. We leave the boar go his way so that our animals would not want to follow it. Slowly the darkness is coming so the night is in the forest. Until the video camera can record, I film only shadows of Muro and Lili. It is dark and time to go back, the animals agree with me.
19.02.2009 We installed the first photo trap. The role of these equipments is to monitor presence of animals on their paths in chosen places without human disturbance. The development of such equipment lasted for a long time so that these apparatus are so good that they can work independently for a long time under difficult weather conditions.
03.03.2009
05.03.2009 Today one big dream came true… Whereas now it is mating season of the lynxes, yesterday evening Tomáš was in the valley to monitor voices in the night. Close to one place with photo trap he heard a wild lynx. Immediately he thought that it could be one of our lynxes but they were in the cottage, 3 kilometers far…
Wild lynx female
10.03.2009 Today, the photo trap took picture of another lynx and a wild boar. More in photo gallery.
25.03.09
Still snowing, there is so much snow that we could be exporting it….!
26.03.09
Our night watch brought us some new developments. Tomas heard yowling our old friend “the wild lynx”.
27.03.09
Ms Maja Bodova, mountain guardian from High Fatras, found another dead deer. They helped us to take down the snow from our cottage roof. Finally, it got a bit warmer but threatened our aviary to fall apart.
We’re still waiting for collars for our animals. Lynxes are probably the most patient animals in the world, if like they knew, that the crisis caught with them too, the worldwide production had slow down. Consequently, their collars haven’t been yet produced as expected being done over 3 weeks ago. We let free, both Mura and Lisa every evening out of their aviary. It is more natural for them, mainly for Lisa, which is less confident and trustworthy. In the evening they feel more secure and after a good run around they return happily to their aviary. Lynxes seem to be again more tolerant with Lici, is if they missed her when they don’t see her. I guess they thinking positively how good job it does guarding them at nights from foxes and martens. Deer have also stopped of being scared of us after all these months, they have realised that we aren’t harming it cause during nights they have their fist just 25 meters from our cottage. Twice we heard wolfs about several meters from our cottage. They probably wanted to see humans living together with lynxes without need to be making trophies out of them. Our movements stay with monitoring big mammals out here. For time being the bears are still asleep, it allow us tracking the steps of wolfs and movements of wild lynxes. By tracking wolfs and their traces in the snow, we observed the size of their territory, the variety and quantity of their catch.
We have seen presence of predators in search for some food, chasing deer down the valleys since 2 months ago in. Gradually we found together with forest guardians and workers 90 percent of their catch from this season. To search for their catch we have our great helper wolf dog, Lica, who without any problems finds all the rest of the deer under fresh layers of snow. Last time on 22.03.09 Lica found the flesh from a little boar. We have been overlooking the movement of wild lynxes with the help of the photo-traps. We have been moving the devices to different places and once we will find the most frequent one we will place the trap to catch the other two wild lynxes. We also place the photo-traps close to the dead deer, to document all the visitors feeding on them. One of these photo-traps can take up to 2000 photos during one week, without any disruption of the animal hood. Follow the link to section Fotopasce (phototraps).
28.03.09
Together with Kubo we’re going to see the cadaver. Even though it’s been a meltdown, following the traces, it is quite easy to see what has been happing here. All the flesh of the deer is nearly eaten up, but we have discovered that one of the guests was our female wild lynx who had been yowling from here when Tomas heard something. We are taking prove for further DNA analysis. Otherwise wolfs seem to be eating here right after our lynx.
29.03.09
It’s been pouring down. Milos has brought up Ms Jana Cavojska, reporter from weekly magazine “Plus 7 dni”. She will be staying with us during one day in order to put together reportage.
We are installing a new phototrap just besides the cadaver, but it seems to be useless as the deer is nearly eaten up. While it’s been raining we checked the rest of the phototraps to see new developments. However, no trace of wolfs, neither lynxes.
02.04.09
Finally the sun has risen…. After several months of gloomy sky, it was the time! Everything is now melting down…Unbelievably; it’s been about 16 C during midday close to our cottage, if the temperature meter is really working right!
03.04.09 The temperature meter didn’t get crazy, working well. During the day has been very nice, sunny and warm. The water level in the spring has been increasing rapidly, by the sunset it has reached the level of our pass way bridge. We hope it won’t break down... The nature has been waking up beautifully from winter sleep. Even though it gets just below a zero in the mornings, lower in the valleys new vegetation started to flowery and agile frogs have began migrating. There are lots of them on the roads; I hope the drivers will be careful enough not to kill them all. On regular basis we let both lynxes out one by one to the forest. Today we decided with Tomas that we take Mura and Liza at the same time. We are taking great amount of risk, if they wouldn’t come back! We could loose them, because they haven’t got their collars yet, it would be difficult to track them as the snow if melting quickly and there wouldn’t be any traces left after them. Surprisingly, they both stayed nearby us, if not we used help of our dog to find them. After several hours, Liza has returned with Milos back to the cottage, but Muro stayed out an hour longer with me. Lici has been very active today therefore it is now sleeping in front of the cottage. 04.04.09 Every morning I expect the lynxes to wake me up around 6.30 am. They jump, respectively hang themselves with their claws on to the windows or the doors and observe, mainly Lili. They got used to being let out into the aviary. It’s 10 am and nothing has happened. They are both lying on the table comfortably. Do they have a muscle pain from yesterdays trip? :) It’s been a second day we took them both into the forest at the same time. We managed to return to our cottage just before the sunset. Not to our expectations, again Liza came home first. Muro returned 1.5 hours later after her. First attempt of crossing 9.5 meters long bridge Liza was scared, in 1/3rd of the bridge she jumped into the spring and swam bag to the cottage. We felt relieved that she managed to swim though such a strong current coming down from the mountains. Second attempt when Milos called her on the bridge she crossed successfully, following Milos very closely. We were afraid that on the way back she will be scared passing the bridge again, but not! She did it without any problems. This time Muro was thinking of swimming over to the other side, but finally he chose the bridge. We filmed the whole crossing. 05.04.09 It’s 10.30 and finally there are noises coming out of the lynxes’ bedroom. I started to believe they really have some muscle pain. Running around free in the forest has its price. They will have to learn to balance well they energy levels. Speaking of muscle pain, I feel it too. It’s not that easy to go up the steep hill 20 times a day. The situation with the bridge is getting critical. I hope that it will hold over the strong current, well we build it ourselves!
06.04.09
We have to hens Huna and Duna in our backyard. Their purpose is to create a temptation to our lynxes once they will be set free out of the aviary. It will take several months before lynxes will learn to hunt independently in the wild nature. We will keep the hens there as a security, Once Liza and Muro are set free and will find it difficult to catch something, they will be able to return to the cottage and eat. However, during nights we keep Huna and Duna safely in the special fence. Several times it happened that we had to pull them out of lynxes claws. Therefore, we’re paying greater attention to their security. During the day, the hens are feeding in the yard together with Blue Tits and Bramblings.
We still continue surveying life of wild animals though previously set phototraps. The photos out of these fototraps are very charming, but often there is a lot of energy and effort behind placing them in the tight corners of the National Park of High Fatra. Recently I received a message from the governor of the valley that he found a flesh of a baby deer killed by a bear. I packed one of the phototraps and headed to the side valley to look for the cadaver. I am climbing up the hill following the outskirts of a spring, which is a full slippery pieces of wood. After two kilometres I realised that I mistaken the valley to a different one. There are two of them with same name, one is Higher, the other Lower. Firstly I headed back to the cottage to change my soaked shoes and trousers and then to the correct valley on the other side. There, I found the dead baby deer without any problems. There was still half of the flesh left. I am sure that the phototrap will take some good pictures. I installed everything quickly and then left.
11.04.09
Few days later I came back to the valley to check the phototrap. It’s early evening one hour before sunset. I realised that in such an abandoned area of the dead deer, there can be easily bears even during the day. The flesh of the deer is in very dangerous location for myself. It is in the valley right behind rock cliff and on the other side spring in a deep gorge behind which there is a steep hill upright. There aren’t any trees about to climb up if emergency! I already have similar experiences from running from a bear in deserted area. I approached the area very cautiously. The wind didn’t help, blowing down the flesh to the valley. I surveyed from behind the rock. As I expected! Bear sat on the rest of the deer’s flesh tearing pieces of meat. Every time he took some meat he munched on it and looked mine direction. He had beautiful colours golden shades on his head and chest. After moment he had noticed me! Looking directly at me, he stood on his four legs without breaking the sight. Generally, bears don’t have good sight, so I shouted at him,…hey, what’s up? Hearing a human voice he came off the deer and unwillingly he started to walk up the hill. I waited couple of minutes until he had gone into bushes; I moved the flesh in front of the camera and quickly left, looking if I hadn’t had any accompaniment. It was getting dark quickly; I just wished to be back home in out cottage.
12.04.09
It was falling dark and it was time to let the lynxes out. Animals registered too and started to move around. First we let out Muro, but today he didn’t want to go out of the sight. He came back after an hour with accompany of Lici. The next turn took Liza. That time already was pitch black outside, with hundreds of stars in the sky and the moonlight lighted like a fireball just after the full moon. As soon as Liza got out, the first thing she did was visiting the hens’ aviary. When she realised she couldn’t get to them she run through the bridge right into the forest. She did the same yesterday, but after 10 minutes of Erika’s calls she returned and played for an hour with Lici in the backyard. However, today she wasn’t even interested in a food. I could see that she had something else in her mind. From previous nights registering the dog was returning from forest by nights, maybe she also wanted to try. She didn’t listen to any commands, so I followed her for about 100 meters into the forest, but lost her in the darkness. It didn’t make sense to follow her there, so I got back to our cottage. Erika open up a fire in the backyard and while talking together, we waited for Liza to come back. About half past ten, two hours later, we noticed a shadow on the bridge, coming towards us. She was approaching very carefully until she came close the their aviary, she stopped and through fencing she said hello to Muro.
I offered her some meat; she seemed to be very keen. Soaked, she walked into the cottage to eat. After her dinner Muro had helped her to lick of all the dirt and head by head they fell asleep together.
20.04.09
Liza and Muro put away their winter accessories, preparing for summer they changed the colour of their hair on the back to golden-rusty. On the bellies, they kept the same white, as during the winter, just its length was shorter by half. To broaden they nurture we brought them 50 quails. Visiting our backyard, Spinks and yellow wagtails were asking for it! Muro and Liza attack them, but these clever birds only escape because they know about the lynxes. Otherwise they would have already become their nurture on everyday basis. Liza and Muro had learned to come back home without us alluring them with food. We couldn’t believe, but it happened just as they keep their distance from us. If they feel like staying in the forest, we let them. They always return by them selves when they want to. In the forest they are keeping very active, hunting birds on the ground and interested in everything happening around them. We can corroborate that Muro will be good in hunting big catch whereas fast Liza will be good in capturing small catch and birds. Summer it’s a time for their first catch. 150 meters below us, there is a mountain cottage habited with forest workers and another one jut on the left of us. Both lynxes are scared of other humans and it never happened that they would go to other cottages. It can’t be said about our Lici, which has visited already several of them.
25.04.09 Tomas is switching with Erika and Milos on the cottage. It’s been very sunny for a while. Erika planted some pots with flowers and put them on the windows and in from of the cottage. It’s getting rather romantic here….. 27.04.09 Another beautiful day…. About ten I went to do the washing up to the spring. From across the other side Lici was barking at me. I wonder what was she doing, asking her why she barks, when suddenly out of nowhere appeared baby bear, roaring. He aimed directly to the aviary where surprised lynxes stared at him not knowing who this forest visitor was. I was getting worried if bear mum would be following. Kubo and I closed Lici inside of the cottage, and then we tried to call the lynxes in too, but unsuccessfully. They just stared at the baby bear with great interest. The baby bear was trying break in to the aviary. I didn’t want to imagine what would happen if bear mum would come. Luckily she didn’t and baby bear run behind the cottage somewhere along the spring. Carefully with Kubo we went to check where the bear gone. Kubo found him with Lici above the cottage. He climbed onto a tree and now and then he roared. I couldn’t hear him very well as I had infection in my ears, so I asked Kubo to inform me when he made a noise. We took some photos of him and got back to our cottage. Tonight, I was supposed to go back to Bratislava, but stayed instead as we expected to have a heavy night. About three, Kubo sat on the bridge. He got up and something yelled behind him. He wasn’t far from ending up in the spring, when the baby bear stood on his back legs, stepping from right to left leg and roaring heavily. We quickly evacuated Lici and the lynxes into the cottage and then observed the surroundings. Nothing! We hope that it run into the forest to join its mum. To be precautious we stayed in the whole evening without lighting the fire in the chimney. We haven’t seen the bear since… In this case of scenario, the best is to keep quiet, leave the place of meeting with it and don’t try any bravery with the bear. Leave him alone! He is from the forest and he belongs there! As soon as humans feel sorry and take them, the baby bear gets lost and then is convicted to ZOO where already are plenty of them….
29. 04. 2009
Today we went to bath lynxes with Milos to the spring. We also taught them how to hunt by using a toy hanging from a stick. We also got interested to play, mainly when Liza didn’t want to move from water. At one moment when Lici approached, Liza merged with the level of water to prepare for attack. She succeeded. The moment of surprised worked well.
30.04.09
During this long weekend Silvia comes to stay. Every evening before sunset we take lynxes for walks to forest and to meadows. Together with LIici they play
01.05.09
Even though the forecast predicted showers, we still had beautiful sunny weather. However it would be good to have few raindrops, but only few!
03. 05. 2009
Together with Milos we went to Sutovska dolina (valley), where with corporation of town Rajec and local guides we worked on educational path though this beautiful valley, which finish with waterfalls.
28.05.09 (Friday)
The whole morning was pouring down. Thus there were no traces of sunshine we still had to feed our animals, which were letting us know from early hours they were hungry. It’s very interesting the way they manifest their hunger. They hang themselves with full weight on the frame of the doors or they try to open the doors with their footpads. The noises and beats of the process don’t give us other option then waking up from our beds. As usually we called them out to their fenced area outside and served their food. The weather didn’t change the whole day, gloomy…! Lynxes didn’t feel to spend any time outside, so they stayed and sleep inside. At night our hens were visited most likely by fox, Lici went mental, wouldn’t stop barking.
29.05.09
It was another miserable day outside. Besides an hour in the afternoon when the sun showed up we just had a time to take lynxes out of the fence. One by one we let them out run around with Lici near by our cottage. At the end of the play, Lici was the one who was exhausted. We compose several traps around the cottage to catch some food for lynxes. Their latest fun is long stick from which is hanging on the sting a piece of wood. It’ s an imitation of rod and there you go, the best toy was born! They were so funny, jumping around. It wasn’t even difficult to persuade them the to the stream. The best swimmer was definitely Liza. We checked all traps in the evening, but nothing got caught. It left us thinking that all mice were caught out last season.
30.05.09
The rain didn’t surprise us, so we spend the day very traditionally. Something surprised us in the afternoon when Lici barked. It meant there was something close by. I run after her, but to my surprise when she jumped out of the bushes she had some kind of bird in her mouth. When we approached her, we were astonished to find the quail alive. It was the one, which escaped out of the fences on Thursday. We wondered how she survived in such a cold weather. It the afternoon we were swapped by Milos and Erika.