Mar. 19, 2008 - Issue #648: War & Oil

Humans & Animals

Close encounter with lynx in Jasper

 On Sun, Mar 16, three lynxes made a rare appearance at the Portal Creek area on the main road leading down from Marmot Basin (outside the ski hill leasehold). At approximately 5 pm, Marmot Basin staff spotted the lynxes as they were leaving the hill and immediately reported the sighting to Jasper National Park officials. “We notified Parks in the interest of visitor safety and also for protection of the animals themselves,” said Bob Bell, vice president of maintenance and operations at Marmot Basin.

There were three live lynxes and a fourth that had apparently been killed by one of the others. Of the three living animals there were a mother and her kitten, and a third, possibly male, who may have been the aggressor. National park warden Joe Storms says that while some animals do practice cannibalization, it is uncommon among lynxes. He also noted that in his seven years as a warden in Jasper, he’s only seen one other lynx. 
 

While several vehicles stopped to see the animals, there was no disturbance and everyone left safely. However, the sighting does serve as a valuable reminder to visitors to be respectful of the ecosystem and conscious of how they interact with animals.  
 

Storms, the warden who responded to the call, says that in summer the parks service can respond to more than 10 “vehicle jams” in a day. While people may be fascinated by the animals, he says, they should still take basic safety precautions to avoid causing harm to themselves, to others or to the animals. 
 

 

“People need to realize they’re not at the zoo, animals can behave unpredictably. Ideally, the best thing is to remain in the vehicle,” said Storms. If they are going to stop, he continued, they should remember to follow basic traffic safety—use proper signals and pull to the side rather than stop in the middle of the road. 
 

And if a person is determined to get out of the car, Storms recommends staying a couple “bus lengths” away, more if the animal is predatory. He suggests a minimum of four bus lengths for bears. With spring around the corner, it’s as important as ever to consider safety when out in the wild. “Right now is mating season and the animals are wandering more,” said Storms. 
 

But in general, if you’re hoping to see a lynx, he says, “Good luck.”  V

 

 

Footage courtesy of Mike Gere.

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