A lynx struck and killed by a vehicle on the road at the Great St. Bernard Pass VS was found to have metal fragments in its tissue.
According to a preliminary autopsy report, this points to the impact of a rifle bullet and thus to poaching.
Criminal complaint filed against persons unknown
The cantonal wildlife, fisheries and fauna authority (DJFW) has therefore filed a criminal complaint against persons unknown, as it announced on Thursday. The lynx had been killed following a collision with a car near Sembrancher VS.
According to the statement, the cause of death was various fractures the animal sustained in the collision with the vehicle. However, an examination at the Institute of Animal Pathology at the University of Bern has now detected metal fragments in the tissue of the dead animal, which “most likely originate from a fragmented rifle bullet.”
Strictly protected species
The lynx is considered a strictly protected species, and poaching one constitutes an offence that is prosecuted ex officio. The responsible authorities will therefore file a criminal complaint against persons unknown with the Valais public prosecutor’s office. The Valais authorities condemned all forms of poaching targeting protected species such as the lynx “in the strongest possible terms,” as the statement read.
