Lynx

Lynx are distributed throughout the Lillooet Sub Region. They are nocturnal and solitary animals that prefer dense forests or areas of high latitudes with deep snow where their large wide paws act like snow shoes, allowing them to travel on top of the snow and elude competitors. Lynx have relatively large territories, with home ranges spanning an average of 35 km2 and up to a maximum of 783 km2. The primary food source for lynx is the snowshoe hare. The well-known Lynx-Hare Cycle is due to the high proportion of the lynx diet that is made up by the snowshoe hare, so as hare numbers decrease due to predation and disease, lynx numbers will correspondingly decrease until hare populations recover, when the cycle then repeats itself. Lynx reproduce annually, usually with litters of one to four kittens.

The lynx is important to trappers for its valuable fur, and is also an attractive hunting target. This species has been important for hundreds if not thousands of years for First Nations people for clothing and then for trade after first contact with Europeans. In modern times, trappings and sightings of the lynx have been steadily decreasing over time.

General issues across the Sub Region will be addressed below, followed by management plans specific to individual populations.

Issues:

• Unknown population size of lynx in the Sub Region

Goals:

• Initiate studies to determine the extent of lynx populations in the Sub Region
• Determine necessary conservation measures to maintain healthy population sizes of lynx

In British Columbia, lynx occur over most of the province (not on the coastal islands and rarely in the wet forests west of the Coast Range and the Lower Mainland west of Hope). The most important factor determining the lynx habitat is its primary prey, the snowshoe hare. When the number of snowshoe hares goes up, we notice an increase in the number of lynx. When hare densities tend to be lower, other common prey species such as red squirrels, grouse and voles are eaten frequently, and lynx predation on Dall's Sheep, caribou, red fox, marten, mink and even other lynx has been recorded. We can distinguish two social classes: residents and transients. Residents occupy distinct territories which hardly overlap, transients are wandering around looking for stable home areas. Movements take place most part during nighttime and is related to availability of prey.

The general goals of harvest management are to substitute harvest for natural mortality wherever possible, to minimize the catch of adult females and to minimize the pressure on prey populations. During the low of the population cycle it is advised to release adult females, to use selective trap sets, to stop trapping early and to reduce competition. At the operational level there are three main approaches that may be used to harvest from them sustainably: a quota, a time-based and an area based system.

Regarding planning and information, it is important to take into consideration: the vulnerability to harvest, food abundance, timing and the competition for harvest. When monitoring and assessing a lynx harvest, it is advised to keep track of the sex and age of animals caught, the location and date of the harvest, signs of family groups and the physical condition of the animals caught. Furthermore, it is recommended to keep the information for record keeping and compulsory reporting.

Source: Lynx Management Guidelines it