Endangered Rare Wild Cat Was Just Spotted in Vermont for the First Time
Depending on how brave you are, you might want to stay out of Vermont. That's because a rare Canadian Lynx was recently spotted in Rutland County, miles away from its home. The sighting is definitely something to celebrate. This is the first time a Canadian Lynx has been seen since 2018.
A man from Shrewsbury was driving home on August 17 when he spotted the big cat walking down the side of the road.
The Associated Press reports that the man, Gary Shattuck, knew he spotted something really rare, so he went home, grabbed his phone, and came back to take video of the find.
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Shattuck's video has since been published online and shows the animal prowling around the side of the road. Thankfully, Shuttuck was able to mind his business and didn't get close enough to the animal to get hurt.
Canadian Lynx are endangered in Vermont and are threatened nationally, Brehan Furfey, wildlife biologist and furbearer project leader with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told the AP.
"This newest sighting is especially exciting because the cat was spotted in Rutland County, far south of most confirmed lynx reports in Vermont,” Furfey explained.
It's not totally unheard of to see a Canadian Lynx in Vermont. Six years ago, another Lynx was spotted in the state and Vermont is the southernmost edge of where Canadian Lynx typically live. Lynx will be spotted in northeastern Vermont because the climate, habitat and food sources are perfect for them to survive.
Canadian Lynx tend to hunt snowshoe hares, and "both species need young forest habitats and reliable snowpack to thrive,” Furfey explained.
Because of their endangered status, “That makes any verifiable lynx sighting in our state important," Furfey added.
NBC 5 also spoke with Furfey, who told them that he believes the animal was a male looking at the area to start his own territory. The practice is called "dispersing."
“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,” Furfey explained. “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.”
There have been hundreds of Lynx sightings in the past. But only seven have been confirmed by the department. Making this recent find truly something special. Furfey says that if you think you've seen a Canadian Lynx, you can reach out to the Fish and Wildlife Department and they'll let you know if the finding is the real deal.
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