Abstract The European lynx disappeared from the French Alps around the beginning of the 20th century. The recovery in France is due to the re-introduction in Switzerland between 1971 and 1976. From 1974 to 1994, there were 70 records. The first records were recorded in Chablais. More regular records were around the Aravis mountains. Over 20 years, a southward expansion of about 200 km has been observed but no continuous distribution area has been shown by the survey. Observations remained scattered, probably because of low observation effort in many areas. Different possibilities for connections with the Jura populations seemed to exist in the French Alps. Bauges, Chartreuse and even Salève could have been reached by individuals originating from the Jura or from the northern Alps. If the presence of the lynx south of Grenoble in the Vercors and in the Hautes Alpes département is confirmed, expansion of the population over the whole south-east of France would be possible.