Rare Lynx Killed in Maine: $11K Reward Offered

PORTAGE LAKE, ME — Authorities are offering an $11,000 reward for information about the killings of two rare Canada lynx in Maine. The lynx is a threatened species; its population ranges from 750 to 1,000 in Maine, officials said.

Two lynx were found shot in separate incidents in Oxford County and Aroostook County in November. The first animal was found November 15 near Aziscohos Lake in Oxford County in western Maine.

"This took place on a logging road that connects to the Parmachenee Road on the New Hampshire/Maine border near Aziscohos Lake, approximately seven miles north of the Parmachenee Road/Route 16 intersection," the warden service said in a statement.

The second animal was found November 17.

"A Canada Lynx was shot and found dead alongside a logging road that connects the Hewes Brook Road and the Wilderness Island Road, west of Portage Lake," the warden service said. "This was reported to the Maine Warden Service after a concerned sportsman discovered the shot lynx in a legally-set foothold trap."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Maine Operation Game Thief hotline at at 1-800-ALERT-US.

The lynx population is on the rise in Maine. There have been a record 11 lynx killed by vehicles so far in 2016, according to the warden service.

Lynx are usually about 2 feet tall and 3 feet long. They prey on hares and squirrels and are known to be good swimmers and climbers.

Photo credit: Maine Warden Service