Skiers and snowboarders were in for a surprise on December 28 when a lynx sauntered across a peopled trail at the Purgatory ski resort in Colorado.Kim Oyler, a spokeswoman from the resort, told the Durango Herald, "This is a rare occasion at Purgatory, Lynx are usually pretty elusive."
Another witness, Jim Russell from San Francisco, said, "It moved really slowly for being a wild animal with so many skiers and snowboarders, but it seemed to pay them no mind and walked up the hill and through the ski run. Within a minute, 50 or 60 skiers had their cameras out."
Lynx are estimated to have a population from 50-250 in the wild, most living in the southwestern corner of the state. Due to hunting, poisoning, and development, most of the cats disappeared in the 1970s. Colorado initiated a plan to bring them back, giving them protection under the Endangered Species Act and transplanting individuals from Canada and Alaska.
Two weeks prior to this sighting, a pair of lynx, likely a mother and offspring, were sighted along a highway about 15 miles north of the resort. One resident reported his thoughts: "My heart just about busted out of my chest when I realized what I was seeing," siad Dontje Hildebrand.
Source: The Telegraph, Lynn Evening Item
