Alleged Poaching of a Lynx in Aargau
Criminal complaint filed against unknown persons following the discovery of a dead animal in Schinznach.
The Department of Construction, Transport and Environment (BVU) is filing a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor's office against an unknown person.
The criminal complaint is based on the autopsy report of the Institute of Animal Pathology at the University of Bern (ITPA) concerning a lynx found dead in the forest. The investigation determined that the animal was most likely struck by a projectile.
Metal fragments found in the body of the lynx
The Hunting and Fisheries Section of the Forestry Division within the Department of Construction, Transport and Environment (BVU) recovered the carcass of a lynx in Schinznach on Monday, 17 March 2025, following a report by a private individual.
In accordance with the federal enforcement guidelines for lynx management in Switzerland (Lynx Concept Switzerland), the dead lynx was immediately taken to the Institute of Animal Pathology at the University of Bern (ITPA) for examination. The illegal killing is the greatest threat to lynx.
The recovered carcass had already been lying at the site for some time, as a result of which parts of the animal had been consumed by scavengers. During the autopsy of the remaining carcass, metal fragments were found in the body, presumably originating from a bullet. Accordingly, the animal found was most likely killed illegally. The lynx is a strictly protected species and its poaching is an offence that is prosecuted ex officio. The BVU is filing a criminal complaint against unknown persons with the public prosecutor's office. More on crime in the context of recreational hunting.
In 2009, the first lynx was recorded in the canton of Aargau following its extirpation there. Since then, lynx have established themselves in the Fricktal region. In recent years, the reproduction of lynx has been repeatedly documented.
Appeal for witnesses
Anyone who can provide information about the case or offer leads to identify the perpetrators is asked to contact the specialist unit for environmental and animal offences (telephone 062 886 88 88 or umweltundtier@kapo.ag.ch) or at any other police station of the Cantonal Police of Aargau.
RECREATIONAL HUNTER RADAR
On the trail of hidden animal welfare offenses, poaching and/or criminal activity? Report suspicious cases to us! Help with the great recreational hunter radar.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In the dossier Poaching and hunting crime in Switzerland we document cases, legal questions and recurring patterns. The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
