Lynx caught on wildlife monitoring camera while patrolling its territory in Defileul Jiului National Park

A wildlife monitoring camera recently captured a lynx as it roamed its territory in a forest of Defileul Jiului National Park, managed by Romsilva.

The footage of the lynx, considered the rarest animal in the area, was shared on the park's Facebook page.

There are four lynxes in Defileul Jiului National Park, difficult to spot even for park staff.

"The Defileul Jiului National Park is rich in biodiversity, and lynxes have appeared on monitoring cameras after long efforts to place them in isolated points across the park. They are among the rarest and most elusive residents of the park. Fortunately, food is abundant, and they do not enter areas populated by humans. They enjoy the peace provided by the park, and with the recent end of the drought, they remain in habitats suitable for their survival. We, the park administration, continue to make efforts to maintain this favorable conservation status, including for this species. To our knowledge, there are at least four lynxes in different locations, but as mentioned, they are very difficult to see," Marin Serban, director of the Defileul Jiului National Park Administration, told AGERPRES on Thursday.

According to the park's Facebook post, lynxes — the largest wild cats in Europe — have excellent hearing and sense of smell, as well as exceptional vision, including at night, when they often hunt.

They move silently and attack prey unexpectedly, capable of making long leaps. Lynxes are discreet and hard to observe in the wild.

Defileul Jiului National Park, one of 22 national and natural parks managed by the National Forest Administration - Romsilva, covers over 11,000 hectares between the Parang and Valcan mountain ranges in Hunedoara and Gorj counties.

Of the park's 11,000+ hectares, almost 9,500 hectares are forest, of which 8,984 hectares are protected areas.