Distribution and status of lynx in the border region between Czech Republic, Germany and Austria Manfred WÖLFL, Ludìk BUFKA, Jaroslav ÈERVENÝ, Petr KOUBEK, Marco HEURICH, Hubertus HABEL, Thomas HUBER and Wilhelm POOST Wölfl M., Bufka L., Èervený J., Koubek P., Heurich M., Habel H., Huber T. and Poost W. 2001. Distribution and status of lynx in the border region between Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Acta Theriologica 46: 181–194. This paper summarizes available information concerning the presence of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx Linneaus, 1758 in the Šumava Mountains and adjacent areas along the common border of Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Our data give an overview of the lynx population occupying the border region between the three countries from 1990 to 1999. We estimated population size using radiotracking data. From 1990 to 1998, population increased from under 20 to nearly 70 resident animals. During this time, reproduction increased as well, with a maximum of 55 kittens observed in the rearing period of 1998 to 1999. Mortality data indicated that illegal hunting was widespread. Our paper discusses possible links with other lynx populations and describes the legal status of lynx in the three different countries. Current manage- ment approaches are outlined and steps toward a long-term conservation plan for the population are proposed. Bavarian Forest Nature Park, Fachschulstraße 21, D-94227 Zwiesel, Germany, e-mail: naturpark-bayer-wald@t-online.de (MW); Šumava National Park Administration, Sušická 399, CZ-34192 Kašperské Hory, Czech Republic, e-mail: ludek.bufka@npsumava.cz (LB); Institute of Biology of Vertebrates, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Kvì tná 8, CZ-603 65 Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail: cerveny@brno.cas.cz (JC), Koubek@brno.cas.cz (PK); Bavarian Forest National Park Administration, Freyunger Straße 2, D-94481 Grafenau, Germany, e-mail: marco.heurich@fonpv-bayern.de (MH); Glockenberg 23, D-96450 Coburg, Germany (HH); Tassach 9, A-9542 Afritz, Austria, e-mail: am.berg@carinthia.com (TH); Working Group “River Otter and Lynx”, Lindenstraße 1, D-94158 Philippsreut-Hinterfirminansreut, Germany (WP) Key words: Lynx lynx, distribution, status, management, Šumava mountains, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria Introduction During the 19th century, Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx Linneaus, 1758 were extirpated in the Šumava region. The last records of lynx killed are 1846 near Zwiesel, Germany (Sperber 1974), 1902 in Carinthia, Austria (Festetics 1981) and 1894 in the Czech Republic (Vodák 1974). For the first 70 years of the 20th century, sporadic observations in the region (eg near Zwiesel; J. Paternoster, pers. comm.) were usually interpreted as dispersing animals born in the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia (Èervený et al. 1996). In the early 1970s, lynx were re-introduced in [181] Acta Theriologica 46 (2): 181–194, 2001. PL ISSN 0001–7051