Suprise Catch By Two Trappers Helps IDFG Research Program

Two trapping partners targeting bobcats in the West Cabinet Mountains of northern Idaho were surprised when they discovered, not a bobcat, but a lynx in one of their traps. They called Idaho Fish and Game to report the non-target capture. It just so happens that Idaho Fish and Game had recently started its own effort to capture and collar lynx and wolverine in the Panhandle as part of the Multi-species Baseline Initiative (MBI). MBI is a collaborative effort of over 15 organizations collecting information on 20 wildlife species which have been identified as rare or potentially in need of additional conservation efforts in Idaho and Washington. When the call came in, Fish and Game already had capture kits ready, complete with satellite tracking collars purchased by the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Idaho Fish and Game immediately sent a biologist to work with the trappers to safely weigh, take blood and hair samples for DNA analysis, and release the 17-pound adult female lynx, unharmed by the trap and sporting a new tracking collar. The satellite tracking collar will allow biologists to determine the animal's home range, assess reproductive status, and provide land managers with important information about how lynx use the local landscape. By identifying a non-target animal and promptly notifying Fish and Game, these two trappers helped further the cause of wildlife conservation. Fish and Game encourages trappers to review pages 38-40 of the furbearer brochure for information about differentiating bobcat and lynx and methods to avoid lynx capture: https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/docs/rules/uplandFur.pdf Photos of the lynx capture and release can be seen on the MBI facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Multi-Species-Baseline-Initiative/4796803…