Gary Shattuck was returning home from running errands on Saturday when he encountered a large cat walking along the road. Initially thinking it might be a bobcat or even a cheetah, he quickly realized he had spotted something much rarer—a Canada lynx, which is currently endangered, strolling down a rural road in Shrewsbury, Vermont.
This sighting marks the first confirmed Canada lynx sighting in Vermont since 2018, as noted by wildlife biologist Brehan Furfey from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Shattuck recounted to The Washington Post that he came within about 10 feet of the lynx around 6:30 p.m. “It appeared malnourished but did not make any sound. It didn’t even look at me,” he remarked.
Adult Canada lynx typically measure between two and a half to three feet long and weigh between 15 and 30 pounds, based on information from the Fish and Wildlife Service.
While remaining safely inside his car, Shattuck attempted to communicate with the lynx, asking, “Hey, are you okay?” While the animal perked its ears, it continued walking away. “I’ll leave you alone, have a good night. So long,” he said before heading home.
“I’ve lived here almost 50 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that,” noted the 73-year-old Shattuck.
He recorded a brief video of the lynx and shared it with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. “I was worried that the animal appeared too thin,” he explained, adding that several of his neighbors also witnessed the wildcat.
Furfey emphasized that Canada lynx are not only endangered in Vermont but also threatened on a national scale, making any confirmed sightings in the state crucial.
The species primarily breeds in northern Maine, northern New Hampshire, northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, north-central Washington, and western Colorado, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Canada lynx resemble bobcats but can be distinguished by their long black ear tufts and short black-tipped tails. They also possess large paws and long hind legs, adaptations that aid them in hunting snowshoe hares in snowy environments.
Furfey speculated that the lynx was likely a male, moving through the area in search of its territory, a behavior termed “dispersing.” Since Canada lynx can cover large distances at high speeds, Furfey indicated that the lynx Shattuck observed has likely left Vermont.