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March 3, 1999
The first three lynx from the Yukon Territory have arrived at a Colorado
holding facility, and two more Yukon lynx will arrive today, the first
installment of more than 20 animals the Division of Wildlife expects from
northwest Canada.
Division biologists have requested 15 females and seven males be trapped
and shipped from the Yukon. Once they arrive in Colorado, the animals are
held at a holding facility in the San Luis Valley for several weeks until
biologists determine they are ready to be released into the San Juan
Mountains of southwest Colorado.
The Division has already released five lynx to habitat the wild cats once
occupied in Colorado. Two of the animals, a juvenile male and an adult
female, were found dead after three weeks on the ground. A necropsy performed
at the Division's research facility found that each had starved to death
despite the presence of snowshoe hares, the lynx's favorite prey.
Division monitoring teams have confirmed that another female lynx has killed
at least two snowshoe hares. The other two females are also being monitored,
but trackers have not confirmed any kills.
The Division is using aircraft to monitor the signals transmitted from the
radio collar worn by each lynx. Ground crews have attempted to track each
animal, but have been hampered by unusually warm and dry conditions that
have melted much of the snow cover needed for tracking.
"We know from our survey work last year and from tracks we're seeing in the
area that there is an adequate snowshoe hare population," said Gene Byrne,
a Division biologist working on the Division's lynx recovery team.
"We also know that there will be mortality as there is in any reintroduction
effort," Byrne said. "Some animals are going to do better than others in
finding the best habitat and in hunting success.
"We are continuing with our plan to regularly evaluate the progress of the
reintroduction effort so we can learn as much as possible to increase the
chances for success," he said.
The recovery team members have already decided to make two changes designed
to increase the success of the effort.
"We're going to hold the females longer to ensure that they're well-fed
before they are released," said Byrne. "And we're going to place them in
the middle of the best habitat whenever possible."
The original plan called for the females to be released within a few days
of their arrival in Colorado while the males are held in captivity until
the females establish territory. Holding the females longer will ensure that
they are in top condition and acclimated to Colorado's altitude and climate
prior to their release. Placing them in the middle of prime habitat will
ensure that they have the opportunity to encounter prey no matter what
direction they initially move.
Byrne has already told Yukon trappers to be sure that all of the animals
shipped to Colorado are adults. Juvenile animals are now dispersing from
their mothers because the breeding season will begin soon and mothers are
preparing for another litter. Juvenile animals are always at higher risk
because they must learn to hunt, survive on their own and establish new
territory.
One of the two lynx that have died was a juvenile male. The monitoring team
observed where it had unsuccessfully tried to kill a snowshoe hare and pine
squirrel.
"When the project began, we knew we could lose up to 50 percent or more of
the lynx," Byrne said. "One of the key goals of this effort is to learn the
natural history and ecology of lynx in Colorado as part of our overall effort
to recover this native species."
Lynx survival rates in western Canada vary with the availability of prey,
especially the snowshoe hare population which regularly booms, then collapses
over a 10-year cycle. "Over the next one to two years, 80 to 90 percent of
the lynx in western Canada will die of starvation following the collapse of
the snowshoe population," Byrne explained. "Then, when the snowshoe population
begins to increase again, lynx numbers will also increase."
The Colorado reintroduction is occurring now in part because Division
biologists are taking advantage of the current boom in the lynx population
this year and next when animals are available to be trapped and relocated.
Division plans call for the reintroduction of about 50 more lynx by early this
spring along the Continental Divide in southwest Colorado. Another 50 lynx may
be released during the winter of 1999-2000.
The reintroduction is the latest in an on-going Division effort to restore
native species to the state. The Division has successfully restored populations
of river otters, peregrine falcons, wild turkeys, greenback cutthroat trout,
moose, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain elk. Work is underway on other species
including boreal toads, Rio Grande suckers and other aquatic species.
Please send comments, questions or requests for more information on this subject
to wildlife.
Since the inception of the Non-Game Tax Checkoff, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has been
able to make significant progress with the research and recovery Colorado's nongame species.
By writing in a contribution on Line 29 of the Colorado State Income Tax Long Form, or Line 12
of the Short Form, donations can be deducted from income tax returns or added to the amount
being paid to the Colorado Dept. of Revenue. In this way, Coloradans are able to express
their value for non-game wildlife and increase efforts on species such as Canada lynx, eagles,
wood frogs, Preble's meadow jumping mouse and the other hundreds of indigenous non-hunted species.
Also, people can donate to this tax-deductible project by writing a check payable to:
Lynx and Wolverine Fund,
Division of Wildlife Non-Game Program
6060 N. Broadway, Denver, CO 80216
Canada Lynx
Lynx canadensis
DIVISION OF WILDLIFE
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First Lynx Mortality Discovered
Division Lynx Reintroduction Effort Continues
Veterinarians to Safeguard Health of Lynx
Lynx Part of Long Line of Reintroductions by Division
Lynx Hit Highway from Kamloops to Colorado