The cat came back is exemplified in an incredible 2,000-kilometre journey of a tuft-eared lynx.
The resilient male was captured as a young adult in British Columbia in 2003 and transported to Colorado for a landmark lynx-reintroduction program. There it sired at least six offspring before being fatally trapped this winter in Alberta north of Banff.
Despite the animal's unfortunate end, its epic trek over such a vast expanse of North America, across countless highways, numerous mountain ranges and probably a stretch of northwest Colorado desert, is being hailed as an inspiring sign of nature's resilience after generations of severe habitat loss and depleted wildlife populations.
"The fact that he made his way back so far, and fairly close to his original location in B.C. -- that's not too shabby for not having a GPS," said Gabby Yates, a University of Alberta lynx researcher. "It's just amazing."
When Yates heard that the neck collar read PLEASE RETURN TO COLORADO FISH & WILDLIFE she just started screaming. "Colorado! It's so far. We know that these cats travel, but the long-distance records we have are about 1,000 kilometres -- and those are few and far between. This really blows all of the other records out of the water."
The story certainly adds credibility to the argument for environmentalists to continue to lobby for expanded reserve areas like the Yellowstone to Yukon initiative. Wild animals show a breadth and sixth sense that we can barely understand.
Care to share an incredible animal story, domestic or wild?
