Dontje Hildebrand can now count himself among the lucky ones.
That is a relatively exclusive, but growing group of Southwest Colorado residents who have seen a lynx, or in Hildebrand’s case a pair of lynx, in the wild.
Thanks to his quick thinking and photographs, he shared his sighting with all of us, and for that we are thankful. Not just to Hildebrand, but to all the people and agencies who have worked to make the reintroduction of the lynx in Colorado an apparent success.
Many sightings of the elusive felines have come, like Hildebrand’s, on or just off U.S. Highway 550 in the vicinity of the passes. Lynx have also been spotted from chairlifts at Purgatory, and by backcountry skiers making their way quietly through the woods. It is hard to imagine a single sighting not accompanied by a gasp of surprise followed by awe.
No doubt about it, lynx are charismatic megafauna. That combination of thick winter fur, steady, intense gaze, tufted ears and the stubby, black-tipped tail – all similar to, but different from its cousin, the bobcat – announce that this encounter is a rare event.
Then there are the paws: big, round, oversized feet, as big on this mid-sized cat as on adult mountain lions, so perfectly adapted to chasing snowshoe hares in deep snow. It is the paws that lend this serious predator a somewhat comedic air. Only prey seems to react to a lynx sighting with fear.
Not everyone welcomed the lynx in 1997, when the Division of Wildlife released 218 lynx from Canada in the San Juans. The program had its critics. But after a rough start the cats have continued to reach benchmarks set by biologists as evidence of self-sustaining success.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is not sure how many lynx now reside in Colorado. But each glimpse provides more evidence that they are thriving.
Like local sightings of bald eagles, an endangered species just two generations ago but now fairly common, the cats are more evidence that sound wildlife management can result in unequivocal success.
Welcome back to a fine longtime resident of the neighborhood.
