Night walks over the motorway

They are hard to spot, but they are there. They mainly travel at night and sometimes use one of the 45 animal bridges over the A2 motorway. They are lynxes, with a population of just 200 in Poland.

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Not so long ago, the appearance of a lynx in western Poland would be quite a sensation, because these animals were associated exclusively with the eastern regions of Białowieża or Bieszczady. But due to the reintroduction programs in Western Pomerania, the number of these wild cats has been growing steadily and they slowly are spreading all over the country. They have been spotted in Wielkopolska and Lubuskie regions. With telemetry research and special transmitters in the collar, naturalists are tracking their migration paths and learning their habits. This is how they learned that these cats are able to swim across the largest rivers in Poland.

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Interesting enough, lynx is not fond of running. This agile and clever animal gets quickly tired and generally avoids any long chases. On the other hand, when walking peacefully, a lynx may cover up to 50 kilometers a day. Such walks are taken mostly at night because lynxes love to sleep during the day. It is easier for them to cross the motorway in Wielkopolska and Lubuskie region, as they can use one of the 45 animal bridges located on the 255 kilometer long Świecko-Konin section.

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Lynx is not a frequent guest, but thanks to our cooperation with naturalists we know that it pays us a visit once in a while. Given the fact that 80% of the first section of the A2 motorway after crossing the German border from Świecko to Nowy Tomyśl runs through the forest and that in three locations it intersects, and in three other neighbors on, the Natura 2000 sites, it is no wonder the species of wild animals that appeared in the areas also include a lynx, says Ewa Patalas. Ph.D., the Environmental Monitoring and Protection Manager in Autostrada Wielkopolska.

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It is neither simple nor cheap to protect animals and ensure drivers’ safety at the safe time. The average construction cost of just one animal bridge on the motorway is PLN 20 million, and there are 45 such bridges in total. In addition, there are culverts for amphibians and reptiles located under the motorway. Only in  the Świecko – Nowy Tomyśl section there are more than 100 culverts located every 700 meters on the average. Their locations were identified by scientists and environmental experts during the construction phase.

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It is necessary, because, when thinking of the economic development, and even within a broader understanding, the civilizational development, we must preserve our natural heritage. Using the example of the lynx population, even though there are more of them each year, in total we have only about 200 individuals in Poland. This is why each of them is extremely valuable – emphasized Professor Piotr Tryjanowski of the Poznań University of Life Sciences.

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Few of us will ever have an opportunity to see a lynx at large, because these animals are typical lone hunters. They usually live alone, avoid other individuals, and couple only for the time of mating. Summer is the time when females care for their newborns they gave birth to in in May and June. The little ones will remain under the care of their mother until the next mating time, and when they become self-reliant, they will start their lone migrations through the Polish forests. We hope they will also use the animal bridges over the A2 motorway Świecko-Konin.

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