Have you noticed how fairy tales and folklore are full of stories about wolves and bears, and almost no bedtime story starts with the famous line: “Once upon a time there was a lynx…”?

Under the green canopy of CineChill zone, we talked about this mystical animal of the Gorski Kotar area with Magda Sindičić, Tomislav Gomerčić and Ira Toplinačec on Saturday, 27 July. The so-called wild animal doctors are veterinarians who are also the protagonists of the documentary film The Missing Lynx, which we saw just before the talk at Petehovac. The curious audience members sat on the bales of hay at the packed event.

The veterinarians presented their international project LIFE Lynx, conceived to prevent the extinction of the Dinaric and Southeastern Alpine lynx population. They explained the importance of the repopulation of the lynx for the entire ecosystem, stressing that human encroachment on nature is currently the number one threat factor, not only for lynxes, but for all wild animals and the environment in which they live.

We also learned some interesting facts about the appearance and behaviour of these wild animals. For example, did you know that the patterns on their fur are unique and represent a kind of fingerprint? Accordingly, all known lynxes have been given a name, so if you see one on a nature walk, there is a high possibility that it is called Marko, Stipe or Vesna.

When asked what to do if you meet a lynx, to the relief of everyone present Tomislav answered: “It behaves just like a regular cat”, and continued: “You might see it 20 meters away, standing and looking at you, thinking, do they think they’re invisible, or simply that daring?”

We ended the conversation with a lot of interesting questions, and one visitor shared his own experience of a close encounter with a bear.

Fortunately, the adventure with animals you don’t see every day is not over yet! Tomorrow, we continue with the introduction to the birds of prey at the Cinema on the Slope at 12:30, and at 11:00 head out on an educational walk with members of the Croatian Mountaineering Society Petehovac Delnice who will teach you all you need to know about staying safe in nature.