Rare Sighting of Endangered Canada Lynx Confirmed – First Time in Vermont Since 2018!
Wildlife officials in Vermont confirmed the rare sighting of an endangered Canada lynx in the state for the first time since 2018. 🌐 #News #MontpelierVT #Vermont #Wildlife
MONTPELIER, VT – Wildlife officials in Vermont this week confirmed a rare, endangered Canada lynx was seen in the state for the first time since 2018.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department on Wednesday confirmed that a video captured on Aug. 17 in Rutland County did indeed depict a Canada lynx. Vermont is at the southernmost edge of the species’ historic range, though they have become a much rarer sight.
“Canada lynx are endangered in Vermont and threatened nationally,” Brehan Furfey, wildlife biologist and furbearer project leader with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, said in a statement.
“That makes any verifiable lynx sighting in our state important. This newest sighting is especially exciting because the cat was spotted in Rutland County, far south of most confirmed lynx reports in Vermont.”
Most confirmed sightings in Vermont occur in the Northeast Kingdom, which boasts the best climate, habitat and food sources for lynx in the state, officials said.
“Lynx are specially adapted to hunt snowshoe hares,” said Furfey. “Both species need young forest habitats and reliable snowpack to thrive. In Vermont the best combination of climate, habitat and enough hares to support lynx is in the Northeast Kingdom, and even that is on the low end compared to areas of New Hampshire and Maine where lynx are more common.”
“Several” members of the public captured videos of the lynx in Rutland County, officials said. But the area is not a suitable habitat for snowshoe hares, nor lynx. But Vermont, including Rutland County, features well-connected natural areas that allow wildlife to move through different habitats.
Furfey said its likely the lynx is a male, searching out new territory in a process called “dispersing.” Because dispersing males can quickly and easily travel long distances, it’s possible the lynx may no longer even be in Vermont.
“Although this lynx appears to be on the thinner side, its calm behavior around passing cars as reported by observers is not unusual for a dispersing individual,” said Furfey.
“This lynx was probably just focused on finding food in an area where hares are not abundant and on avoiding competition with bobcats and fishers while passing through southern Vermont.”
Despite receiving some 160 reports of lynx sighting since 2016, only seven have been confirmed by state wildlife officials. The last confirmed sighting occurred in Jericho in 2018.
“If you think you’re looking at a lynx the most helpful thing you can do is take a photo or video and send it to the Fish and Wildlife Department,” said Furfey.
“The large majority of photographs our biologists receive are bobcats, but that doesn’t exclude the possibility that a Canada lynx will show up one day.”
Written by TMX staff, with additional reporting by Jack and Kitty Norton.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter
We value your feedback! Did you find this article informative, inspiring, or thought-provoking? Leave a comment below and join the discussion. We appreciate your opinion and look forward to hearing from you!
