The return of the lynx in Italy.

1920 was the year of the official announcement of the extinction of the lynx in the Italian territory.
Unfortunately, during the same period in almost the whole Europe this beautiful feline was definitively disappearing, because of centuries of deforestation, reduction in the number of preys and direct persecution.

Between 1970 and 1986, 7 reintroduction programs were attempted in Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany. While in the other countries they had success, in Italy the results started to arrive late and only in 1971, after Switzerland had released about 30 lynx, there were the first reports of sightings in the western Alps, precisely in Aosta Valley and Ossola Valley.

From the 80s on the lynx (lynx lynx) has come back in the forests of northern Piedmont, Giulie Alps and Carniche Alps and is now going south, along the forests of the Apennines.

Today, the largest Italian population is in the Gran San Bernardo zone and the data collected by the forest rangers show that these wonderful animals have arrived to the Abruzzo National Park (with 2-3 confirmed pairs).
In spite of all, in Italy the lynx remains very vulnerable because of car accidents, poaching and the destruction of its habitat and of the ecological network in the Alpine valleys, which are too often crossed by highways or railways.

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)