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There are three types of lynx - Siberian (a.k.a. Eurasian), North American
(a.k.a. Canadian) and Spanish lynx.
The Siberian lynx is the largest of the three species of lynx, almost twice
as large as the North American lynx. Adult males can weigh as much as
eighty-four pounds, with females weighing slightly less.
Their yellowish-brown fur shows seasonal variations in color - darker spots
in the summer and lighter, almost invisible spots in the winter. In Florida,
they keep their summer coat almost all year long, due to the mild winters.
In the Wild... Their territory covers Scandinavia, Russia, Asia Minor, Iran, Iraq, and
Western Europe. Reintroductions taking place in Switzerland, Austria, Italy and
Yugoslavia.
Siberian lynx can be found in forests, mixed woodlands and other such areas
where there is heavy undergrowth for cover. These predators usually hunt at
night, but severe weather occasionally forces them to become daytime hunters.
They are fond of rabbits and hares, which form the major part of their diet, but
they also eat rodents, birds, deer and sheep.
The Siberian lynx is still found widely throughout northern and central Asia,
but it is rapidly losing its territory in Siberia. It still ranges from Estonia
to Siberia, but its northern boundary has shifted more than 250 miles north due
to human settlement. It is becoming more isolated in remnant habitats in central
and southwestern Russia, with reports that is gone from Moldavia and most of the
Ukraine.
Threats
These beautiful creatures are being killed by hunters for their pelts and by
sheep farmers. In Europe, where governments once paid bounties to eliminate the
lynx, they have been re-introduced with mixed results. The re-introductions have
been somewhat successful in Austria, Yugoslavia, Germany and Italy, using mostly
animals live-trapped in Czechoslovakia. As a result, these long-legged,
ruff-cheeked cats are gradually returning to Switzerland's Jura Mountains.
MISHA
Misha is a male Siberian lynx born on April 28, 1997. He was rescued from a
hunting ranch in Minnesota when he was only a few weeks old. Unafraid of people,
he was to be raised and killed in a "canned" hunt. Improperly de-clawed
and in poor health, we bottle-raised him and nursed him back to health. He is
now almost two and one-half years old and doing great!
He lives at our refuge, housed with two other Siberian lynxes for
companionship.
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SASHA
 Sasha
is a one and one-half year old female Siberian lynx. She and her sister were
born at a fur farm in Canada. They would have been killed for fur coats when
they matured. We found out about them and paid the fur farm enough to have them
released to us. We now of course realize that that didn't solve the problem and
that we only rescued an individual animal without being able to change the
conditions for other lynx in the same situation.
At less than one week old, with their eyes still closed, they were flown to
Florida. Bringing a threatened species into the county is no small feat. We
bottled-raised them in our house, and they are now living happily at our
compound - as Hardee County's own "Wildcats".
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KISA
 Kisa
is a one and one-half year old female Siberian lynx. She and her sister were
born at a fur farm in Canada. They would have been killed for fur coats when
they matured. We found out about them and paid the fur farm enough to have them
released to us. We now of course realize that that didn't solve the problem and
that we only rescued an individual animal without being able to change the
conditions for other lynx in the same situation.
At less than a week old, with their eyes still closed, they were flown to
Florida. Bringing a threatened species into the county is no small feat!
We bottle-raised them in our home and they are now living happily at our
compound - as Hardee County's own "Wildcats".
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