Lynx with cubs spotted on a Maardu cycle lane
A woman out walking near Maardu, just outside Tallinn, caught the relatively rare sight of a mother lynx with her cubs, Maaleht reported.
"It really was a special moment," Maarja Liiv, who both saw the animals and captured the moment on video, told the weekly, adding that while only three cubs are visible in the footage, a fourth was hiding in some nearby crops.
Maardu has a population of around 17,000 and is just outside Tallinn, further evidence the lynx population is doing well after a decline in past years, zoologist Uudo Timm said, adding that lynxes were often here before people were.
"In suburban sprawl areas this is a completely normal phenomenon, because not only lynxes but also other wild animals move along trails formed over centuries in the landscape and thus often reach new housing estates," he said.
The species is not a threat to humans, the zoologist added, though, as with all wild animals, should never be cornered – even if the intention was not to do so and just to engage in the modern-day practice of taking a selfie, "which unfortunately people from urban areas especially tend to want to do," Timm added.
Some wild animals have their own specific territory – for instance elk during calving season or black grouse during mating season – which humans should not intrude on; in any case touching or removing many species is illegal, Maaleht reported, while many wild animals can carry parasites or infections which can be harmful to humans.
Conversely, you must never approach a wild animal if you yourself are unwell, and you must never try to lure a wild animal with food.
If you do happen to come across a wild animal with its young, you should retreat from the direction you came and certainly not come between a mother and its offspring.
Dogs should be kept on a leash when out and about, both for the safety of wild animals and of the pet itself, while under no circumstances should you disturb a wounded or apparently unwell animal – call the state hotline on 1247 and outline the situation in this case (operators speak English).
Lynxes can present a threat to pets such as cats.
Bear encounter-specific advice is here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Maaleht
