A lynx has been sighted in the Ardennes

Up until now, only a few clues, collected over the last twenty years, appeared to corroborate the feline's presence in the south of the country, but this has now been proven beyond doubt. That's because an example of the species was snapped in a camera trap on 27 August in the Semois Valley. The fact that it was a lynx was irrefutable, as its large pointed ears, spotted coat and broad legs were clearly visible. The lynx, nicknamed the "ghost of the forest" on account of its timidity, had never previously been photographed. Until now that is. The species had completely disappeared from Western Europe, but reintroduction programmes were implemented in France and Germany.

A predator with a specific taste for roe deer, it can nonetheless live off smaller prey (hares, voles, etc.), being a stalking hunter. Its major advantage is its stealth, which makes encounters with humans rare. Moreover, it does not pose any threat to the latter. Its reintroduction into our country has nonetheless come up against an obstacle: the lynx is active within a vast territory of 1,000 square kilometres. Furthermore, Europe's largest feline is solitary. It does not tolerate any other lynxes in its proximity, and leads a sheltered existence. If lynxes make Belgium their home, there will inevitably be fewer of them than wolves.