‘Don’t approach’: What to do if you see a lynx in P.A.

One video posted to Facebook showed the lynx walking past a couple of houses along 19^th and 20^th street West in West Hill.

More pictures on Facebook, showed the lynx walking casually along the sidewalk near St. Mary High School.

According to the Ministry of Policing, Corrections, and Public Safety, the lynx eventually made its way out of the city, presumably at nightfall.

But what brings a wood animal like a lynx to the city in the first place?

Brett Diemert, an Inspector with Conservation Officer Service in Prince Albert said the city has plenty of green spaces and is close to the forest and the North Saskatchewan River.

“The river, of course, creates a corridor for a lot of wildlife to follow and often times they’ll follow the river into the city or locations, where the green space actually extends out into the rural areas and they’ll follow those green spaces into the city,” he said. Diemert also said many cities in Saskatchewan, including Saskatoon, will see wildlife walking in.

While many critters like deer and bears can sometimes find their way into Prince Albert, Diemert said seeing a fully-grown lynx is rare.

“We don’t normally see them,” he said. “Anybody that did take pictures or saw the animal, consider themselves lucky because lynx by nature are reclusive. You don’t see them a lot.”

While the lynx may be majestic and you’re tempted to get up close, Diemert advises you not to.

“Don’t approach the animal, it’s not a domestic animal, it’s a wild animal. Stay back from the animal, leave the animal alone,” he said. “A lot of times they’ll try and find a path to get to seclusion or to get out of the city. Unfortunately, as people start to chase the animal around and try to get photos, that’s probably the worst thing you can do.”

(Submitted Photo/Wanda Fourstar)

Another thing you need to be aware of is keeping your pets safe as they can easily become a target for lynx.

Adoptions Manager with the Prince Albert SPCA Laura Goodwin said you need to make sure you have eyes on your pets, especially if they need to go out at night.

“It doesn’t matter, a lynx is going to do some damage. Cats are relentless,” she said.

“Cats are tough, they’re stalkers. They will stalk your pets, regardless of the way they react,” Goodwin added. “A dog might chase a lynx away for a minute, but they will come back if they like what they see on your property.”

Goodwin added it doesn’t matter if you own a large dog like a husky, the lynx will make a move and attack if they feel threatened, possibly causing great harm to your pet.

As for the recent sightings of the lynx, Diemert said Conservation Officers did their best to move the animal away. While they had some hiccups, it eventually left.

“Our officers tried to move it toward the river, but it decided it was going to go the other way and moved south toward the city. We haven’t had any more reports to our office about it, so we believe at nightfall it moved out,” he said.

“Once it gets dark and the traffic slows down in the city, they tend to move around a little more and they will find their way out.”

If you encounter a lynx or other wild animal in the city or your rural property, you can contact Prince Albert Police, the RCMP, or the Turn in a Poacher line at 1-800-667-7561.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow

by Derek Craddock, Rob Mahon

‘Don’t approach’: What to do if you see a lynx in P.A.

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