Gary Shattuck was returning home from running errands on Saturday when he noticed a large cat walking along the road. Initially, he speculated it could be a bobcat or even a cheetah. However, he soon realized it was an even rarer sighting: an endangered Canada lynx wandering down a rural road in Shrewsbury, Vermont.
This sighting is significant, as it represents the first confirmed observation of a Canada lynx in Vermont since 2018, according to Brehan Furfey, a wildlife biologist from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Shattuck recounted to The Washington Post that he was approximately 10 feet away from the lynx when he spotted it at around 6:30 p.m. He noted that the animal appeared undernourished and did not react to his presence. “It didn’t even acknowledge or look at me,” he remarked.
Adult Canada lynx typically measure between two and a half to three feet in length and weigh between 15 to 30 pounds, as noted by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
From the safety of his car, Shattuck called out to the lynx, asking if it was okay. Although the animal’s ears twitched, it continued on its path. Before driving away, Shattuck wished the lynx a good night, stating, “I’ll leave you alone, have a good night. So long.”
At 73 years old and having lived in the area for nearly five decades, Shattuck expressed his astonishment: “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
He captured a brief video of the lynx and shared it with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, expressing his concern about the animal’s thin appearance. He mentioned that a few neighbors also observed the wildcat.
“Canada lynx are endangered in Vermont and are considered threatened nationally,” Furfey explained. “Any confirmed lynx sighting in our state is important.”
The primary wild breeding populations of the Canada lynx are found in northern regions of Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Colorado, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Unlike bobcats, lynx can be distinguished by their long black ear tufts, short black-tipped tails, large paws, and long hind legs, features that assist them in hunting snowshoe hares in snowy environments.
Furfey speculated that the lynx observed by Shattuck was a male that was dispersing in search of its own territory. Given their ability to cover vast distances quickly, Furfey indicated that the lynx spotted by Shattuck is likely no longer in Vermont.