Advertisement

WATCH: Rare peek at Swedish wild lynx caught on camera

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
WATCH: Rare peek at Swedish wild lynx caught on camera
File photo of lynx. Photo: AP Photo/Sergiy Gaschak

A video published on Facebook has allowed Swedes to get more up-close-and-personal than ever before with two young lynx roaming the woods of Blekinge in southern Sweden.

Advertisement

In the clip, you see the curious pair walking down a gravel path, climbing on rocks and investigating their surroundings. It is a rare glimpse of a normally very reserved animal, which tends to be the most active at night.

They were caught by hidden cameras put up by county authorities as part of a nationwide move to count the number of lynx and other animals to find out how Swedish wildlife is faring.

"So far we have documented three family groups in the county," wrote the county board about its own regional effort on its Facebook page.

"They have all been captured in pictures, but two of the families we have also been able to track in snow."

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

Den första februari fångade en av våra kameror lodjursungar på film. Vi har 30 kameror i gång runt om i länet och har få...

Posted by Länsstyrelsen Blekinge län on Friday, 12 February 2016

Sweden has been seeing a hike in the populations of bears, lynxes, wolves and wolverines – the four major predator species in the Nordic country – in recent years after a dip earlier in the milliennium.

A total of 172 lynx family groups (a female lynx with cubs) were discovered in Sweden during last year's national count. However, the animal peaked in 2008-2009 with 286 family groups recorded.

The lynx is easily recognizable by its tufts of black hair sprouting from its ears, and large, padded paws which helps the wild cat walk swiftly on the Nordic snow in winter.

It is most common in northern and central Sweden, but has, like the wolf, been moving further south in recent years.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also