MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont wildlife officials say a rare Canada Lynx first spotted in Rutland and Addison Counties in August continues to be making the rounds.
Biologists with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department say it’s the first time in years they have seen the big cat in Vermont and that they continue to receive verifiable photos and videos of what they believe is the same animal. They say the lynx has moved about 60 miles north of where it was first sighted, traveling around a dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same area for several days before moving on.
“We’ve had 15 confirmed lynx sightings since August and signs point to these all being the same dispersing juvenile male,” the department’s Brehan Furfey said in a statement. “The lynx has moved steadily north from Rutland County into Addison County. That’s a conservation success in its own right because Vermont’s network of protected lands is what makes this journey possible. We’re rooting for this lynx to keep heading north where it will find more young forest habitat and plenty of snowshoe hares to eat.”
Because Canada lynx are a federally threatened species, the department says it is important for anyone who sees a lynx to give the cat a wide berth.
Vermonters who think they have a photo or video of a lynx are encouraged to take two steps. First, learn how to tell Canada lynx from the closely related bobcat, which is much more common in Vermont. Second, if confident your photo or video is a lynx, email it to the department at fwinformation@vermont.gov.