Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Snare Types for Collecting and Retaining Hair from Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)

The study from 2012 assessed the effectiveness of five different hair snare types for collecting Eurasian Lynx hair in the Bavarian Forest National Park. The wire brush snare emerged as the most effective, collecting the highest number of hairs (7,514 out of 15,864) and retaining the most hairs with roots (2,947), which are crucial for DNA analysis. Despite similar numbers of rubbing events across snare types, the wire brush snare proved superior in both hair collection and retention after two weeks of exposure to environmental conditions. The study concluded that the wire brush snare is the best option for genetic monitoring of Eurasian Lynx and may be applicable to other felid species with similar hair characteristics.