By Tom Gardner


Rough and tumble: German shepherd Lilica met as part of a scheme called Return of Lynxes aimed at trying to reintroduce the cats into the wild after numbers suffered from hunting

Could it be the LYNX effect?

The age old feud between cats and dogs seems to have been put to one side as Lilica the German Shepherd becomes inseparable from her feline friends Liza, Viki and male Muro.

But what makes this friendship even more unusual is as well as being cats, the cubs are also wild lynxes.

Lilica is helping to teach the little cubs how to fend for themselves in the wild as part of a conservation project in the National Park Velka Fatra, Slovakia.


Firm friends: German shepherd Lilica has become inseparable from her feline friends Liza, Viki and male Muro

Inseparable: German shepherd Lilica was introduced to his feline friends as part of a conservation project in the National Park Velka Fatra, Slovakia

The animals met through a scheme in the country called ‘Return of Lynxes’ aimed at trying to reintroduce the cats into the wild after numbers suffered from hunting.

Conservationist and photographer Tomas Hulik said: ‘The first part of the project was that we took two young lynxes, Liza and Munro at the age of five weeks.

‘Lilica helped us to communicate with lynxes, she was like their mother.

‘After the success lynxes Liza and Muro we gat a new lynx called Viki. This was a unusual moment for Lilica, she started to produce milk just like they were puppies.

The 35-year-old added: ‘Lilica became a lynx mother and they went everywhere together. It was very useful for the young lynx.

'They had a new mother, they had partner for playing, and they had a guard and teacher in forest.’


Cosy: The lynx cubs know they can have some fun with mild mannered Lilica


Feline friendly: Little lynx cubs are being taught a thing or two about life in the wild from Lilica


Got it licked: Lilica is teaching the cubs Liza, Viki and male Muro about how to fend for themselves in the wild as part of the conservation scheme


Play time: Despite the difference in size, the young lynxes are not afraid of having a bit of play time fun with Lilica



source:dailymail