Wildlife
Three lynx found shot dead in northeastern Switzerland
Three protected lynx—a mother and her two cubs—were found with gunshot wounds in the Oberegg district of Appenzell Innerrhoden. Police are investigating, and the cantonal hunting office has filed a complaint.
Three protected lynx were found dead with gunshot wounds in Oberegg, a district of Appenzell Innerrhoden, after the animals were discovered near a road on Saturday. The group was a mother and her two cubs, born this year, cantonal police said on Monday.
A gamekeeper was sent to the site after the discovery was reported. The cantonal Office for Hunting and Fisheries has filed a complaint with the police, and an investigation is under way.
The deaths bring a rare case of suspected wildlife crime to the attention of authorities in Switzerland’s smallest canton. Lynx are a protected species. Police said specialists are examining the animals, with further conclusions about the ammunition expected after those examinations are complete.
Trace the investigation
Police are investigating how the animals were shot and who was responsible. A gamekeeper was dispatched after the report, while the cantonal Office for Hunting and Fisheries took the matter to the cantonal police by filing a complaint.
Specialists are examining the lynx. Police said those examinations must be completed before conclusions can likely be drawn about the ammunition. The investigation remains ongoing.
The discovery involved a whole family group: a mother and her two young. Their deaths have prompted a formal police inquiry under the canton’s wildlife protection framework. The animals were found not far from a road in the Oberegg district.
Set out the legal stakes
The person responsible could face a hefty fine or imprisonment if identified, Roland Koster of the Appenzell Innerrhoden cantonal police said. The police have not announced an outcome in the investigation, which is still under way.
Koster told Keystone-SDA that in his 38 years as a police officer, he had never encountered another case in the canton involving a protected animal being shot. The case has drawn both police and the cantonal hunting authorities into the response: the Office for Hunting and Fisheries has filed a complaint, and specialists are examining the animals.
The lynx are protected in Switzerland. The examinations may help investigators draw conclusions about the ammunition used.
Track the species’ return
Lynx returned to Switzerland through a reintroduction programme after being wiped out in the country by the end of the 19th century. Swissinfo reported that the species can now be seen in the wild, around 50 years after reintroduction.
The deaths in Oberegg place the protection of the species in sharp focus for Appenzell Innerrhoden. Police are investigating the shooting, while the cantonal Office for Hunting and Fisheries has filed a complaint. Specialists are examining the animals, and their findings are expected to help clarify the ammunition involved.
The case now turns on the police inquiry and the examination of the lynx. Koster said anyone found responsible could face a hefty fine or imprisonment.