lynx photo in Yellowstone park

[Emily]

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... 6-lynx.txt

Rare lynx photographed in Yellowstone
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff

On the Monday after Thanksgiving, Fred Paulsen was halfway between Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction when he spotted something standing in the middle of the road.

At first he thought it was a mountain lion, and then maybe a bobcat. He pulled his truck over, grabbed his camera and began shooting as the cat moved down to a stream.

It wasn't until he looked at his photos later that he realized what he had: probably the best photo ever of the rare and elusive Canada lynx in Yellowstone National Park.

"I've been here 23 or 24 years. I've seen a lot, but this was pretty special," said Paulsen, a Xanterra Parks and Resorts employee who helps coordinate restoration work around Old Faithful.

The lynx is so rare in the Yellowstone ecosystem that even the scientists who study them seldom or never get a glimpse of one.

Kerry Murphy, a Yellowstone biologist, led a study of lynx in the Yellowstone ecosystem from 2001 to 2003 that found DNA from just three individuals. There were no sightings.

He was amazed when he saw Paulsen's photos.

"I was rocked back," Murphy said.

There's at least one other photo of a lynx in Yellowstone, taken near Lake Village sometime before 1990, and another whose origins are unknown, Murphy said. Paulsen's, though, take the cake.

"It's easily number one," Murphy said. "They are truly amazing photos."

He estimates there are just "a handful" of lynx in Yellowstone ecosystem. Park officials estimate there were only about 70 reports of sightings or tracks between 1887 and 2003.

The lynx is not only rare but secretive, preferring cold conifer forests and solitary travel at night in search of its favorite food, the snowshoe hare. Once spotted, though, they're easy to recognize with long ear tufts, a bobbed tail and wide paws for moving easily over snow.

Paulsen feels lucky to have had about five minutes with the male lynx on Nov. 26 near Beryl Springs.

"It was big, about the size of a German shepherd," Paulsen said.

It moved quickly from the road to the streambed, where it climbed atop snow-covered logs and looked back at Paulsen, allowing him to snap a clear shot. Paulsen wanted to move closer but the snow was too deep. As quickly as the lynx showed up, he disappeared.

"I never saw him again," Paulsen said.

In all, Paulsen got about 10 photos, he said. He copyrighted the best one.

The photos caused a stir among wildlife biologists in Yellowstone and raised questions about where the animal was from.

The photos clearly show the lynx wearing a collar.

Colorado Division of Wildlife officials said it's probably one of the 218 collared lynx from Canada released in southwestern Colorado between 1999 and 2006 as part of a reintroduction program.

Lynx from the program have shown up in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Kansas.

"Obviously, they are capable of traveling great distances," said Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

In some cases, the cats are trapped and returned to Colorado, he said. But if one winds up in a place with suitable habitat, such as Yellowstone, it's up to wildlife officials there to decide if it can stay.

The one photographed in Yellowstone was probably wearing one of the collars with a satellite transmitter that has since gone dead.

Murphy said it may still be emitting a telemetry signal. A plane flew over the area but didn't pick up any indication of the lynx.

Its presence, though, adds to the evolving story of lynx in Yellowstone, Grand Teton and the surrounding areas, where researchers are looking for both year-round residents and those just passing through.

Nate Berg is a member of Endeavor Wildlife Research, a Jackson-based group of biologists formed in 2004 to study lynx. They have found DNA from six different lynx and have seen several tracks in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

"But I've never seen one," Berg said. "That photo, especially the quality of it, is excellent and rare, really neat."

Published on Friday, January 04, 2008.
Last modified on 1/4/2008 at 1:01 am