Lynx have returned to the wild forests of Europe!

A rare hunter reappears in the bohemian forest. For over a hundred years he had disappeared, but now he is very much a force to be reckoned with. There is an ample selection of prey and room for the children to play. The European lynx is on top of things again, even if not every attempt succeeds. Better luck next time. For five long months, the bohemian forest lies under a blanket of snow a meter thick. It is one of the coldest regions in Central Europe. Located at the transition from a maritime to a continental climate, it is often reached by clouds from the Atlantic. The moisture they bring crystallizes in the early morning cold to create wonderful shapes. Almost every day an ice-cold wind whistles over the plateaus. The handsome lynx male does not feel the cold thanks to his dense protective fur coat. Every day he patrols his territory. Are there any other males around? Is there a female nearby? He leaves a spurt of urine to show others that this is his territory. In the crisp snow, it is not easy to hunt silently, even if one has such large, soft paws. But his potential prey has the same problem. This little chap isn't a pine marten for nothing. Up in the slim branches, he has nothing to fear from a 25-kilo predator. The hunter would have no problem on the trunk, but he wouldn't stand a chance of catching the agile lightweight. A male lynx's territory can cover several hundred square kilometers, depending on the food supply. It partially overlaps that of a female lynx. These two have already mated and are now carefully avoiding each other again. But the female is not alone. Her children from last year's litter are waiting for her. The siblings' relationship is still harmonious, and that will not change until they become sexually mature. The mother lynx still regularly visits her young brood. They're inquisitive. Has mum brought something nice with her? A typical cat-like greeting. The lynx has not made a new kill, but knows where she hid the remains of the last one. Every two to three days, she has to have a successful hunt, otherwise she and her grown children will go hungry. Lynxes are pure carnivores and make no exceptions. Always clean your paws after dinner. They are, after all, a cat's most important tools. The bohemian forest extends across the border for 120 kilometers along the border between the Czech Republic and Bavaria. Some of the valleys are hardly accessible to humans. There is plenty of space for large predators. In contrast to the lynxes that were reintroduced into the wild, the wolves have found their own way here. Since the 1980s, they've often been sighted on the Czech side. In 2017, a pack of wolves produced their first young on the German side in the Bavarian Forest National Park. After the hunt, the pack, made up of parents and their young from the last two years, come together at the resting place. The two-year-old youngsters will soon break away and look for a territory and a partner elsewhere. The thaw does not set in until May. Now the stage is set for the black grouse to make their entrance. The aim is to impress the females. In springtime every year, the male black grouse meet at their traditional lek in the Veitfelevitz, the largest wetland area in the bohemian forest. This is where they fight for supremacy. Most of it is only show. They will seldom injure each other. The older and stronger a male is, the closer his territory will be to the centre of the lek, and he will defend it fiercely. The females watch the spectacle disdainfully at first, and then respond to the strongest males. Every morning, the wooden enemies reach up towards the sun. These early bloomers have to make the most of the time available. Soon the leafy canopy of the trees will stop the light reaching the ground. For many, food now becomes more plentiful, but not necessarily for all. Squirrels are particularly fond of such seed delicacies as acorns and beech nuts, but they will have to wait a long time for those, and most of the birds whose nests they will often raid have no young yet. So they make use of their numerous stocks they hid in the autumn. Since they often forget some of these, they unwittingly provide new tree growth, which is the food source for their own offspring. Spring is the time for blossoms and baby animals. In a wild boar sounder, with a well-functioning social network, the sows will give birth at almost the same time in spring. The newborn squeakers form kindergartens, and do not only play with their own siblings. Play fighting is particularly popular. This is how they safely practice what will later be serious fighting for the best sows. The squeakers appear to be highly noticeable through their stripes, but in the woods, they are perfectly camouflaged among the vegetation. The mother suckles her young for up to ten weeks. But after only three weeks, they will start to dig up roots, seeds and fungi. A hierarchy develops quickly among the squeakers, and each has its own teat. A bit awkward if someone's in the way. Countless streams flow through the bohemian forest, including the source stream of the famous Flotava River. Now, in spring, they are abundantly fed by meltwater. For the female lynx, water is only for drinking. As a typical cat, she will not voluntarily go in, although she can swim quite well. Did she hear something? With her conspicuous tufted ears, the female lynx has excellent hearing. Whether the tufts of hair actually contribute to this, however, is still her secret. She has moved away from her young, and is looking for a suitable hiding place where she can give birth to her next offspring. This might work. Others have already got their family together. This fox cub left the burrow for the first time a few days ago. Everything's totally new to him. The others do not dare to go so far yet. Very early on, young foxes develop their own individual characters. The vixen takes great care that no parasites take up residence in her little one's fur. But there are evidently some in the fox family that don't like the idea of washing too much. With her six cubs, the mother certainly has her paws full. She's obviously well able to exert her authority. And the next, please. A little closer to the burrow would be safer, although the fox cub is already too big for the boreal owl. The little owl has chosen a vacant blackthroat pecker's nesting chamber to rear its young. As with most owls, the chicks hatch at intervals of some days, so they are now of different sizes. The partners keep in contact with each other by calling. As long as the chicks are still young, both partners take care of the offspring. The female, however, often hunts only for herself, whilst the father makes sure the chicks are fed. How many eggs the female owl will lay depends on how well fed she is. This must have been a moderately good mousing year if she has four chicks. Members of the vole family make up over 50% of their food. Small birds, like here, are more rarely hunted. Mice can find plenty of hiding places in the bohemian forest, but they must always be on their guard. The mother lynx can hear a mouse from 50 metres away. Almost nothing escapes these eyes. For a grown lynx, a mouse is just a snack. Normally, the mother lynx will be hunting larger prey, like roe deer or young red deer. But at the moment, every bite counts, because she has a few exhausting hours ahead of her. For the birth of her young, the lynx has moved into the cave that she selected a few days ago. The birth is a painful process for her too, but the only sign of this is that she licks her lips. The mother immediately massages the newborn with her tongue to initiate breathing. And then the second one arrives. But that's all. A mother lynx can only raise more than three kittens with considerable difficulty. She is on her own. The father lynx does not participate in family life. One floor up, and some other cave children are already significantly further in their development. But dad's hotel is very comfortable. Suddenly, there's no stopping the young spotted woodpecker. In the first days of the lynx baby's life, the mother rarely leaves the cave, but hunger sometimes gets the better of her. The kittens can neither see nor hear, but they can feel. They can sense the proximity of their sibling very well. When the mother's not there, they have to warm each other. The grey owl chicks are now fledglings. They will not change their dark plumage until the late summer, when they will look like their parents. For some time, the father will care for them. The female has left the family and is, perhaps, starting another brood with another partner. After a short time, the female lynx returns from her hunt. The kittens spend most of the time sleeping, but their mother's scent wakes them up. Time for some help, perhaps? The lynx's cave is not far away from Königsfels, the most extensive moorland lake in the Bohemian forest. It covers over one hectare and is famous for its floating, matte islands. This is home to a very special hunter, the sundew. Ready to strike at a moment's notice. Its tentacle-lined leaves are deadly traps. Attracted by the sugary, shimmering secretion that looks like dew, insects are caught on the sticky tentacles and the trap snaps shut. The secretion of carnivorous plants contains digestive enzymes. In a few hours, only the empty exoskeleton of the victims will remain. Thanks to the numerous rocky outcrops that provide shelter and protection, the Bohemian forest is also home to the lynx's smaller cousin, the wildcat. As a precaution, the tawny owl keeps an eye on it, although that little hunter cannot really harm her. During the day, the wildcat hunts the same prey as the owl at night, mice. The fact that the cautious cat hunts in an open meadow shows that she feels safe in the sparsely populated woods and meadows. Of course, one mouse is not enough for her. She has to catch up to ten a day to satisfy her hunger. Like the lynx, the wildcat stalks its prey and then attacks it from an ambush position. It only hunts animals that are noticeably smaller than itself. In the Bohemian forest, the wildcat has little to fear from its worst enemy, humans, and always finds plenty to eat in its hunting ground. Wherever it feels safe, it prefers to hunt during the day, which means it keeps clear of wolves and lynxes. They are a serious source of danger. The lynx would have no difficulty stalking unnoticed in the dense cover of the forest. The larger cat usually hunts during dusk and at night, but if she has young that need regular warming and feeding, that is often not enough. She will resort to more unusual ways if her fine senses indicate a potential source of food. The dormouse's choice of an old woodpecker's nest was a wise one. The lynx cannot get its paw in there, and the little mouse can curl up and go back to sleep. The lynx babies are now two and a half weeks old and can see and hear. Like their parents, they are descendants of the animals that were resettled in the Bohemian forest in the 1970s and 80s. The lynx was wiped out a long time ago in Europe. It managed to hold out longest in the Bohemian forest until the second half of the 19th century. Then, the last of them was eradicated there as well. Ants, well able to put up a fight. And that young rhyneck is no alternative either, too much hard work. Rather than go hungry, the lynx settles for the ants. A week later, and the kittens still relish the warmth of each other's bodies, harmony still rules, and the brother's main purpose in life is as a cuddly teddy. In the Königswilz moorland, temperatures indicate we are in early summer. The dragonflies are in their usual yin and yang mating position. This is the only way they can mate, because the sexual organs of the females and males are in completely different places. Others are already laying the fertilized eggs. The most important task of their lives has now been accomplished. As adults, they will normally only live a few weeks. The offspring will now develop slowly over several years in the water, before finally coming onto the land and hatching out of their larval skin. At the age of about five weeks, the lynx kittens are developing and extending their playful activities. An important change is due to happen soon. They are about to see the great wide world for the first time. Very wobbly, and both curious and afraid, it's good to be near the mother. This kitten has made a surprising discovery. There are other animals, and just lynxes. Even though this neighbor poses no danger to her young, the lynx plays it safe and fetches the adventurous kittens back before they wander too far away. Typical of kittens, this one immediately goes into dorsal immobility mode. This behavior is innate, and prevents the baby from injury from his mother's teeth if he moved. Stay here? There's just so much to discover. The lynx sharpens its claws on rough surfaces, the same as domestic cats. When hunting, the paws must be able to grab and hold. The bohemian forest, with its numerous lakes, is home to many species of game. Ideal for a cautious hunter like the lynx, that prefers not to hunt in the open. This doe has become separated from the herd, and could become the next victim. After roe deer, red deer are the most common prey of the lynx. On the other hand, a lynx is reluctant to take on badgers. Because despite being smaller, and their awkward appearance, they are very aggressive. The badger's young, too, are exploring outside the burrow, or set. Repairs and extensions are a constant worry. Badger's sets are often extremely extensive, and serve the animals for many generations as dwellings. In the meantime, the wildcat has become a mother too. What's that? Just a harmless insect. Wildcats like to settle near streams or rivers, so they never have far to go to have a drink. Just two weeks old, the little kittens feel insecure when their mother is away. She won't stay out in the forest for long. But just like the lynx, she has to take care of herself every now and then. The baby tawny owl could indeed be at her mercy. And he has, in fact, been discovered, albeit by a rather different hunter. The owlet now demonstrates one of his skills. This is a spectacle that one does not see every day. The owlet cannot fly yet, but to make up for that, he's a very capable climber. Tough luck for the baby lynx. One might be forgiven for thinking the owlet is saying, serves you right. So what? I wasn't really interested anyway. The mother lynx will suckle her babies for two or three months, which ensures that they develop well. They're now seven weeks old. On the German side, in the Bavarian forest, lies the Großer Arbese Lake, a unique natural oasis in a mountainous region. One particular inhabitant frequently leaves his unmistakable trademark here. The beaver. A beaver's teeth are sharp and grow continuously and it will chisel away at the trunk until the tree falls. This one has managed a lot in the past months. With the branches, the beaver builds its lodge, the entrance of which is always underwater. This means it can come and go unseen. Water is the beaver's home and its body is ideally adapted to it. Its flat, scaly tail was at one time almost its undoing. The Catholic Church declared the beaver to be a fish, which meant it could be eaten during the night. In addition, 200 years ago, this large rodent was considered the king of fur animals. It has no less than 23,000 hairs per square centimetre, so the fur is denser than most. At the beginning of the 19th century, 500,000 beaver skins were sold in London alone every year. As a result, beavers had disappeared in many places by the early 1990s. The lord of the lodge is a pure vegetarian. As long as it finds green, it doesn't have to cut down trees. It only creates rafts from branches and small tree trunks in the winter and then lives off the bark. It also builds dams with branches and twigs to keep the water level constant. But beavers only feel really safe in the water. Beavers live in family groups, parents with their young going back several years. The ancestors of these animals either came from the Czech Republic to the Abaze Lake or via the Danube and Regan rivers as descendants of beavers resettled on the Danube. They spread out as the juveniles move away. As soon as they are sexually mature, they set off to look elsewhere for a territory and a partner. If the neighbouring beaver territories are occupied, they will cover considerable distances. In this way, this large rodent is in the process of reconquering large parts of Germany. Beavers are monogamous, stay faithful to each other throughout their lives and have a tender relationship to each other. This juvenile tends to keep at a distance and will soon go off into the big wide world. The floating mat in this lake has no link to the bottom of the lake but is attached to the land. If it is not removed, like it was at the end of the 19th century, the Abaze Lake will, at some point, disappear completely under the mat. There has been a decisive change in the lynx family lifestyle. Now three months old, the lynx babies have acquired a taste for meat. They even begrudge their mother her share and gobble up as much as possible. Who knows when the next meal will be? Just a little further away and the lynx family can no longer be seen. Rocks and deadwood provide hiding places that are completely missing in monocultures. Even the extensive badger family can go about their business unnoticed, unless they give themselves away. The youngsters have grown considerably and are always ready for some rough and tumble. The badger's sets are frequently home to several related families peacefully living together, real multi-generational homes. In the summer, the best thing to do at lunchtime is have a nap. But a real wild boar will find something much better. A mud bath. There are good reasons for boars to wallow in moist mud. Due to their thick layers of fat and coarse hair, they can quickly overheat and have to take remedial action in time. The mud bath also helps to remove parasites. When the mud dries and drops off, it will take many a parasite with it. The main thing, though, is to be as happy as a pig in muck. This small woodland inhabitant plays a crucial role. Without it and its relatives, this whole scene would be barren. Despite cleaning itself, the bumblebee has already carried sufficient pollen from plant to plant. Fortunately, the best-known bees, the honeybees, do not have to do all the work. In Germany, there are over 560 bee species and about 40 bumblebee species. The clamping mechanism of the delphinium has one simple purpose, to apply pollen to the insect as it sucks the nectar. Originally, almost the entire area of the Border Mountains was forested. Most bees and butterflies could not have lived there. During cultivation, the ancient forests were cleared. But today, these open spaces fulfill an important ecological function and have enriched the region with many species. The shy wildcat also loves the variation between dense forest and open meadow. Her offspring are now eight weeks old and very playful. In comparison with lynx kittens, baby wildcats develop relatively fast. They stay with their mother until they are at least five months old. The wildcat family shows that natural habitat in the bohemian forest is still relatively intact. Here, the wildcat mother can raise her children in safety. In many places, wildcats have disappeared because they cannot cope in purely cultural landscapes and human settlements. The habitat has been able to develop undisturbed mainly because, during the Cold War, the Iron Curtain passed through today's National Park. In places where deadwood is left alone, fungi have the opportunity to develop. Most of the organisms that are neither animals nor plants are hidden. In early autumn, however, the mushrooms and toadstools appear within a few days. Then they release their spores, sometimes faster than you expect. The key word in the forest now is reproduction. By contrast, most of the animals' nurseries have now been abandoned. The three juvenile lynxes from last year are still keeping together. In the meantime, they have learned to take care of themselves and they no longer see their mother. The male boreal owl has fulfilled his paternal duty and can take care of himself. These three siblings will not stay together for much longer. Male cats are sexually mature after 36 months, females somewhat earlier. This is when the animals will separate to lead their own independent lives. Perhaps they will find territories in the bohemian forest. Perhaps they will migrate into other regions, like many others before them. Quiet times have arrived for the wolves. This year's youngsters are already grown and almost independent, but will stay with their parents for more than a year to help raise the pups next spring. There is already no visible difference between them and their parents. The forest provides an ideal breeding ground for fungi. They cannot photosynthesize like plants, but must, like animals, absorb nutrients from the soil, dead wood and living organisms. Even fungi have their enemies. The great red slugs make inroads into them, and not at a snail's pace either. In the bohemian forest, this rare slug still has a chance against its almost identical competitor, the Spanish slug, which is spreading almost everywhere on arable land. But there is no let-up for the bank vole. Even at higher levels, it's not safe from the lynx. This time, though, the predator is left empty-handed. Now autumn is in full swing. The streams fill with rainwater and bring a magical touch to the forest with numerous waterfalls. The lynx youngsters have made good progress. They are now six months and are practicing creeping and sprinting. Their mother is now able to disappear for longer periods and take care of her own well-being. However, the youngsters are still really children, playful and inexperienced. They will stay at least another half a year with their mother. They have a lot to learn before they're as smart as she is. At some point, however, they will leave on their silent pause and conquer their own territory, somewhere in the bohemian forest, in this vast forest of the lynxes.