According to a press release from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the Canadian lynx, a rare wild cat, has been spotted in Vermont for the first time in six years.
The lynx was observed on a road in Rutland County on Aug. 17 and captured on video by several residents, Brehan Furfey, a wildlife biologist with the agency, said in Wednesday’s news release.
In Vermont, the Canadian lynx is critically endangered, and in the United States it is threatened—that is, likely to become endangered.
Because of their endangered status, bobcats are rarely seen in Vermont, Furfey said. Between 2016 and 2018, the State Department recorded only seven confirmed sightings of the species. The most recent credible report came from Jericho in 2018, the news release said.
Lynx are similar to bobcats in size and appearance, the release said, and are often confused with one another. However, lynx have distinctive black tail tips and light-colored heels, unlike bobcats, whose tail tips are white and banded with black and whose heels are black.
Canadian lynx are found in most of Canada and Alaska, as well as parts of the northern United States, according to a report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Populations persist in areas with deep snow and large, dense forests, including northern Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Montana and Washington. But logging and recreational land use have led to loss of lynx habitat nationwide, according to the federal department.
Vermont is at the southernmost edge of the lynx’s range, according to the press release. Most confirmed sightings have been recorded in the Northeast Kingdom, where the climate, habitat and food sources for lynx are the best in the state.
Furfey is the project leader of the Vermont Fur Conservation and Management Project, which aims to protect seventeen species of mammals – including lynx – that have historically been hunted for their fur, according to a 2022 project report.
The project manages fur-bearing animal populations by conserving habitat, minimizing the impacts of human development on wildlife, and implementing regulated trapping and tracking programs. Overall, “the future presence of the lynx in Vermont will depend on maintaining habitat connectivity between Vermont, New Hampshire, and Canada and mitigating the impacts of climate change,” the report said.
Rutland County is not a suitable habitat for lynx, primarily because the species’ primary food source, snowshoe hares, are not found in large numbers in the area, the news release said. Instead, Furfey said, the reported lynx was likely just passing through the area looking for a place to establish its own territory.
“Although this lynx appears to be on the thin side, its calm behavior toward passing cars, as reported by observers, is not unusual for a roaming specimen,” Furfey said in the news release. “This lynx was likely just focused on finding food in an area where rabbits are not plentiful and avoiding competition from bobcats and fisher martens as it traveled through southern Vermont.”
Furfey said if Vermont residents believe they have found a lynx, they should take as many photos and videos as possible and send them to the state Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Most of the photos our biologists receive show bobcats, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that a Canadian lynx might show up one day,” she said.
