ECSST News article of the day WHAT DO YOU THINK MEMBERS? We would love to know what your thoughts are! THE TROUBLING REASON WHY THESE RARE, BEAUTIFUL LYNXES ARE DYING OFF The big cats’ snowshoe hare prey is disappearing, but climate change poses the biggest threat to the endangered predator. The elusive and rarely seen Canada lynx is in trouble. No one knows exactly how many of the distinctive big cats remain in the United States, but all signs point to the fact that their population is shrinking while their habitats have become fragmented. That has prompted efforts to secure greater protection for Canada lynx. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week kicked off a review of the species, the first since it was listed as threatened, one step below endangered, in the year 2000. “By comparing historical and recent lynx records, we know that they’re now scarce in regions where they used to be more common,” said Kylie Paul, Rockies and Plains representative for Defenders of Wildlife, who has spent the past several years working to preserve the species. “Now they’re holed up in a few major regions across the northern part of the country.” That includes populations in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, Minnesota, and a few New England states. One area where lynx appear to be on the decline is Maine, which just five years ago was home to an estimated 750 to 1,000 of the cats. Today, that number is probably closer to 500, according to FWS. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife sticks to the higher estimate. No matter which is correct, “they are expected to decline,” Paul noted, pointing out that the population expanded in the late 1990s after clear-cutting and fire-suppression techniques created more habitat for snowshoe hares, the lynx’s primary prey. Changes in forestry methods have allowed trees to grow there once again, removing the low-height underbrush the hares need to thrive. “As the forests grow, that’s going lead to a decrease in both hares and lynx,” she said. Climate change will also pose problems for both species across their range in the future, as both the hares and the lynx are highly adapted for snowy conditions.......………………………… READ FULL ARTICLE AT: takepart/article/2015/01/22/troubling-reason-why-half-maine%E2%80%99s-lynxes-have-died-five-years If you like it, please share it? ECSST (Endangered Cat Species Survival Trust) Homepage: ecsst.org (in the process of updating with lots of information regarding endangered cat species in the wild and our entire project, our photographers, cat species etc.) Facebook: facebook/Endangeredcatspecies Twitter: https://twitter/ECSST777 Photographers group: facebook/groups/332219533550937/
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:05:00 +0000