When a man was riding his bike in the woods, he thought he saw a little kitten. Turns out it was a baby lynx! The amazing rescue brought him face-to-face with an incredible animal.
13. A Ride Through the Woods
Image: www.mtbproject.com
Mathieu Patry is an outdoorsman who was enjoying riding his mountain bike in the woods near his home in Quebec, Canada, when he saw something unexpected. It was, he thought, a small, furry animal – probably at cat. He pulled off the path.
12. Off the Beaten Path
Image: Mathieu Patry
Once Patry jumped off the trail and got a closer look, he thought his first instinct was correct. “At first I thought it was a domestic cat,” Patry said. “So I got off the mountain bike to go check.” It seemed to be an adorable kitten. However, it turned out to be something different.
11. A Lynx Kitten
Image: Mathieu Patry
Patry walked over to the small feline and realized that it seemed to have different features than a domestic house cat. Living in Quebec, he was familiar with other kinds of felines – wildcats – that lived in the area. “I saw his paws and immediately guessed that it was a lynx,” Patry said. “Then I saw the little round ears, and afterwards I saw that he had just a tiny little tail.”
10. Lynx
Image: Canadian Wildlife Federation
“I was very surprised to see that it was a lynx,” Patry noted. Canadian lynx live in Canada and Alaska and other colder zones. Also known as the North American lynx, these cats have whiskers, triangular ears that are tipped and large, furry paws.
9. What’s in a Name?
Image: Max Pixel
The name lynx is thought to have originated with the Greek word leukos, which means bright. According to the San Diego Zoo, this could be a reference to the shininess of the lynx’s eyes when the light hits them. Their eyesight is so strong they can spot a mouse up to 250 feet away.
8.An Orphan?
Image: Mathieu Patry
Patry knew enough about wildlife to understand that the first thing to do when a person encounters a young animal in the wild is to see if its mother returns. Often, the mother may be nearby. Patry left the trail and went home, hoping that the lynx was not an orphan. However, he thought about the lynx all night.
7. Crying for Help
Image: Mathieu Patry
The next day, Patry returned to the area where he first spotted the baby lynx. He was hoping he wouldn’t see the baby lynx, but sadly, he was still there. Unfortunately, his mother was not there. And this time, the lynx was crying out. Clearly he was all alone and needed help. Patry knew just what to do.
6. Home for the Night
Image: Mathieu Patry
Patry collected the lynx and jumped back on his bike. He returned home and then contacted a local wildlife rehab group about what to do next. the lynx seemed to be in relatively good health, so they instructed Patry to give him food and water until they could make arrangements to get the lynx.
5. A Survivor
Image: Mathieu Patry
Patry took the lynx to the wildlife team the next day. The first thing they told him was that the baby was undersized for the season, which suggested he might not have survived long if Patry didn’t rescue him. He may have been living on his own in the wild for longer than they originally thought. Thankfully, Patry found him before predators did.
4. Snowshoes
Image: Boredom Therapy
According to Patry, the rescuers had a good plan for the lynx. “The zoo will host him for a while and then release him into the wild, when he is strong enough,” Patry said. Lynx are built to live in very cold temperatures. They have special feet: paws that spread out when they walk on snow. In some ways it is as if the lynx have their own snowshoes.
3. Natural Hunters
Image: Pinterest
Canadian lynx are predators who hunt to survive. They are far smaller than other big cats, but are able hunters. They mostly eat snowshoe hare as their main food source. They can also track and hunt mice, squirrels and birds. Their amazing hearing and sharp sight help make them strong hunters. The extra tufts in their ears enable them to hear tiny movements.
2. Learning to Live in the Wild
Image: Dissolve
Despite their natural advantages, lynx still need to learn from their mothers about how to live in the wild. That’s what the Quebec zoo group does, make it possible for the lynx to learn what it needs to live on his own. A lynx is considered fully mature when it reaches about two years of age.
1. Beautiful Lynx Kitten
Image: Stratford Star
Patry is relieved that he was able to save a life. He is an animal-lover who respects nature. “I love all animals, so it was just normal for me to help him if I could,” Patry said. “I am very happy to know that he is safe and that he is doing well. I am happy that he will survive. He’s so beautiful.”