Canada lynx are back in New Hampshire
THEY'RE BACK: The Fish and Game Department announced last week that four Canada lynx have been confirmed at the northern tip of New Hampshire, marking the first confirmed lynx in the state since 1993.
The four felines were photographed twice, in November and December in Pittsburg, the department said.
Lynx are an endangered species in New Hampshire, the agency said, and are listed as "threatened" by the federal government.
We chatted with Daryl Burtnett, the state director for The Nature Conservancy, about the furry newcomers and what this tells us about the state's wildlife.
So, four Canada lynx kittens were spotted in Pittsburg. Who saw them? It was reported to us by New Hampshire Fish and Game, but I don't know who specifically spotted them.
This may be a silly question, but given the name, is the thinking that they migrated down from Canada? Well, I think that probably the population has been expanding back down from Canada over the last decade-plus, and they came to Maine first. The kittens, I think, they're New Hampshire natives.
Why is this a big deal? It's a big deal because it's telling us about the health of the habitat up there.
Do you expect their range to extend south in the coming years, or will they stay up north? I don't know which direction they'll go. One of the things that we're seeing is that there's a really important east-west and north-south nexus up there in northern New Hampshire.
Are lynx a danger to humans? Oh, friend. I would say friend. . . . With any kind of wildlife, obviously, you want to give them their space so they don't feel threatened. But I would say we should keep the welcome mat out for lynx in New Hampshire.