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  • Rare Canada lynx continues to be spotted in Vermont

    Rare Canada lynx continues to be spotted in Vermont

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    A rare Canada lynx that was first spotted in Rutland County is continuing to be observed in other parts of the state as it travels north. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department says the first confirmed sighting was captured this past August, and the most recent was in Addison County.According to Fish & Wildlife’s furbearer project leader, Brehan Furfey, the large cat has not been seen in the state in years. “All of a sudden, we’re starting to see one that is being seen very often, I would say, over the course of the last 45 days or so,” she said. According to Fish & Wildlife, the young lynx has been traveling a couple dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same area for several days before moving on. Furfey said Canada lynx tend to prey on snowshoe hares, which are further north.”The fact that it’s moving further north is a good thing because there is better snowshoe hare habitat there, and I would expect that to continue to move north,” she said. “Whether or not it stays in Vermont is to be seen.”Currently, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has confirmed 16 photos and videos showing the lynx, which they believe is the same animal. However, other photos sent to the agency have depicted a bobcat, as opposed to the rare animal.Furrfey said Canada lynx have a hunched back, large feet and a black tail all the way around. Bobcats, on the other hand, weigh less and have white on their tails underneath with a black tip. Shrewsbury Town Clerk Rebecca Rice said she saw what she believes was the lynx on her farm around the time the first sightings were being reported. “We quietly walked down the driveway and watched the lynx catch a rabbit, and it then took it under the brush and the side of the field and proceeded to eat it,” Rice said. “We were far, way away, but he certainly didn’t mind us watching him.”Fish & Wildlife said the Canada lynx is a federally threatened species, and added that anyone who sees it should give the animal a respectful amount of space.

    A rare Canada lynx that was first spotted in Rutland County is continuing to be observed in other parts of the state as it travels north. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department says the first confirmed sighting was captured this past August, and the most recent was in Addison County.

    According to Fish & Wildlife’s furbearer project leader, Brehan Furfey, the large cat has not been seen in the state in years.

    “All of a sudden, we’re starting to see one that is being seen very often, I would say, over the course of the last 45 days or so,” she said.

    According to Fish & Wildlife, the young lynx has been traveling a couple dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same area for several days before moving on. Furfey said Canada lynx tend to prey on snowshoe hares, which are further north.

    “The fact that it’s moving further north is a good thing because there is better snowshoe hare habitat there, and I would expect that to continue to move north,” she said. “Whether or not it stays in Vermont is to be seen.”

    Currently, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has confirmed 16 photos and videos showing the lynx, which they believe is the same animal. However, other photos sent to the agency have depicted a bobcat, as opposed to the rare animal.

    Furrfey said Canada lynx have a hunched back, large feet and a black tail all the way around. Bobcats, on the other hand, weigh less and have white on their tails underneath with a black tip.

    Shrewsbury Town Clerk Rebecca Rice said she saw what she believes was the lynx on her farm around the time the first sightings were being reported.

    “We quietly walked down the driveway and watched the lynx catch a rabbit, and it then took it under the brush and the side of the field and proceeded to eat it,” Rice said. “We were far, way away, but he certainly didn’t mind us watching him.”

    Fish & Wildlife said the Canada lynx is a federally threatened species, and added that anyone who sees it should give the animal a respectful amount of space.

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  • ‘Conservation success story’: Rare lynx spotted repeatedly in Vermont

    ‘Conservation success story’: Rare lynx spotted repeatedly in Vermont

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    A rare big cat caught on camera for the first time in years is once again showing up in Vermont, this time in a different area.See the rare cat in the video aboveVermont Fish and Wildlife said they have continued to receive verifiable photos of a Canada lynx that was first spotted in Rutland County back in August. To date, biologists have noted 15 confirmed sightings since then and believe the reports are the same juvenile male.The incredible animal, which was captured walking calmly along a roadside in Shrewsbury by resident Gary Shattuck, has appeared to move about 60 miles north into Addison County, according to the latest images of the cat provided by the department.Video: Rare Canada lynx spotted in VermontFish and Wildlife experts said reports indicate that the lynx is traveling about a dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same area for several days before moving on. This behavior is typical for young lynx, with the department saying that juveniles will often travel long distances as they search for a new territory in what is called “dispersal” by biologists. Brehan Furfey, a biologist with the department, said the lynx’s movements are a “conservation success” thanks to Vermont’s network of protected lands that allow the cat to move safely from area to area. “We’re rooting for this lynx to keep heading north where it will find more young forest habitat and plenty of snowshoe hares to eat,” Furfey said in a statement.To ensure that the lynx continues on its journey and remains safe, the department urged Vermonters to give this federally threatened animal plenty of space if they happen to see it. While the lynx is healthy, biologists say it is skinny and may be stressed by the act of being in unfamiliar territory. They also assured residents that the cat is not a threat to people.“The rule of thumb is always to keep a respectful distance from any wildlife you’re observing. If they are changing their behavior in response to you, then you’re too close,” said Furfey. The department said it previously posted a video to its social media accounts on how to tell a lynx apart from its more common cousin, the bobcat.

    A rare big cat caught on camera for the first time in years is once again showing up in Vermont, this time in a different area.

    See the rare cat in the video above

    Vermont Fish and Wildlife said they have continued to receive verifiable photos of a Canada lynx that was first spotted in Rutland County back in August. To date, biologists have noted 15 confirmed sightings since then and believe the reports are the same juvenile male.

    Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

    A juvenile male Canada lynx photographed in late September 2024, in Addison County.

    The incredible animal, which was captured walking calmly along a roadside in Shrewsbury by resident Gary Shattuck, has appeared to move about 60 miles north into Addison County, according to the latest images of the cat provided by the department.

    Video: Rare Canada lynx spotted in Vermont

    Fish and Wildlife experts said reports indicate that the lynx is traveling about a dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same area for several days before moving on. This behavior is typical for young lynx, with the department saying that juveniles will often travel long distances as they search for a new territory in what is called “dispersal” by biologists.

    Brehan Furfey, a biologist with the department, said the lynx’s movements are a “conservation success” thanks to Vermont’s network of protected lands that allow the cat to move safely from area to area.

    “We’re rooting for this lynx to keep heading north where it will find more young forest habitat and plenty of snowshoe hares to eat,” Furfey said in a statement.

    To ensure that the lynx continues on its journey and remains safe, the department urged Vermonters to give this federally threatened animal plenty of space if they happen to see it. While the lynx is healthy, biologists say it is skinny and may be stressed by the act of being in unfamiliar territory. They also assured residents that the cat is not a threat to people.

    “The rule of thumb is always to keep a respectful distance from any wildlife you’re observing. If they are changing their behavior in response to you, then you’re too close,” said Furfey.

    The department said it previously posted a video to its social media accounts on how to tell a lynx apart from its more common cousin, the bobcat.

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  • ‘Conservation success story’: Rare lynx spotted repeatedly in Vermont

    ‘Conservation success story’: Rare lynx spotted repeatedly in Vermont

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    A rare big cat caught on camera for the first time in years is once again showing up in Vermont, this time in a different area.See the rare cat in the video aboveVermont Fish and Wildlife said they have continued to receive verifiable photos of a Canada lynx that was first spotted in Rutland County back in August. To date, biologists have noted 15 confirmed sightings since then and believe the reports are the same juvenile male.The incredible animal, which was captured walking calmly along a roadside in Shrewsbury by resident Gary Shattuck, has appeared to move about 60 miles north into Addison County, according to the latest images of the cat provided by the department.Video: Rare Canada lynx spotted in VermontFish and Wildlife experts said reports indicate that the lynx is traveling about a dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same area for several days before moving on. This behavior is typical for young lynx, with the department saying that juveniles will often travel long distances as they search for a new territory in what is called “dispersal” by biologists. Brehan Furfey, a biologist with the department, said the lynx’s movements are a “conservation success” thanks to Vermont’s network of protected lands that allow the cat to move safely from area to area. “We’re rooting for this lynx to keep heading north where it will find more young forest habitat and plenty of snowshoe hares to eat,” Furfey said in a statement.To ensure that the lynx continues on its journey and remains safe, the department urged Vermonters to give this federally threatened animal plenty of space if they happen to see it. While the lynx is healthy, biologists say it is skinny and may be stressed by the act of being in unfamiliar territory. They also assured residents that the cat is not a threat to people.“The rule of thumb is always to keep a respectful distance from any wildlife you’re observing. If they are changing their behavior in response to you, then you’re too close,” said Furfey. The department said it previously posted a video to its social media accounts on how to tell a lynx apart from its more common cousin, the bobcat.

    A rare big cat caught on camera for the first time in years is once again showing up in Vermont, this time in a different area.

    See the rare cat in the video above

    Vermont Fish and Wildlife said they have continued to receive verifiable photos of a Canada lynx that was first spotted in Rutland County back in August. To date, biologists have noted 15 confirmed sightings since then and believe the reports are the same juvenile male.

    Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

    A juvenile male Canada lynx photographed in late September 2024, in Addison County.

    The incredible animal, which was captured walking calmly along a roadside in Shrewsbury by resident Gary Shattuck, has appeared to move about 60 miles north into Addison County, according to the latest images of the cat provided by the department.

    Video: Rare Canada lynx spotted in Vermont

    Fish and Wildlife experts said reports indicate that the lynx is traveling about a dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same area for several days before moving on. This behavior is typical for young lynx, with the department saying that juveniles will often travel long distances as they search for a new territory in what is called “dispersal” by biologists.

    Brehan Furfey, a biologist with the department, said the lynx’s movements are a “conservation success” thanks to Vermont’s network of protected lands that allow the cat to move safely from area to area.

    “We’re rooting for this lynx to keep heading north where it will find more young forest habitat and plenty of snowshoe hares to eat,” Furfey said in a statement.

    To ensure that the lynx continues on its journey and remains safe, the department urged Vermonters to give this federally threatened animal plenty of space if they happen to see it. While the lynx is healthy, biologists say it is skinny and may be stressed by the act of being in unfamiliar territory. They also assured residents that the cat is not a threat to people.

    “The rule of thumb is always to keep a respectful distance from any wildlife you’re observing. If they are changing their behavior in response to you, then you’re too close,” said Furfey.

    The department said it previously posted a video to its social media accounts on how to tell a lynx apart from its more common cousin, the bobcat.

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  • Gunfight in upstate NY wounds 3, including Vermont deputy

    Gunfight in upstate NY wounds 3, including Vermont deputy

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    ALBANY, N.Y. — Gunfire on the streets of Saratoga Springs early Sunday morning left at least three people wounded, including an off-duty sheriff’s deputy from Vermont who was shot multiple times by police.

    The gunfire broke out at 3 a.m. in the historic downtown of the small city, known for its thoroughbred horse racing, fine restaurants and and cultural attractions.

    Video from a street camera appeared to show a group of people fighting on the sidewalk, then scattering as shots were fired.

    Two men were shooting at each other as police arrived, including a deputy from the Rutland County Sheriff’s Office, according to Saratoga Springs Police Sgt. Paul Veitch.

    Body camera video released by the city showed officers running toward the sound of the gunshots with their pistols drawn, one screaming “drop the gun!”

    When the sheriff’s deputy, who was not in uniform, didn’t drop his weapon, Saratoga Springs officers opened fire, according Commissioner of Public Safety James Montagnino.

    The deputy, who was not immediately identified, suffered 10 bullet wounds, including one to the chest, but was conscious and was expected to survive, the Times-Union reported.

    His girlfriend’s arm was grazed by a bullet.

    The deputy had gotten into a barroom argument with a group of three people from Utica, Montagnino said. After the fight spilled onto the street, the deputy showed his weapon and the Utica man drew his, which was when gunfire broke out, the commissioner said.

    Seven to eight shots were fired between the two, and the deputy shot the Utica man, Times-Union reported.

    All three gunshot victims were in stable condition at a hospital, Veitch said early Sunday evening. Authorities didn’t identify them.

    The shooting is the first time in 26 years that a police officer in Saratoga Springs fired a weapon at someone, Montagnino said.

    “I’m proud of how our officers handled it,” Montagnino said. “No one emptied their clip.”

    For decades, New York has tightly restricted who can carry firearms in public, but a Supreme Court decision in June held that the state’s licensing laws were unconstitutional.

    Revised rules that make it illegal to carry a firearm inside a place that serves alcohol are the subject of a court challenge, but are still in effect.

    “Nobody should be on Caroline Street at 3 o’clock in the morning drinking that has a weapon. End of story,” said Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim.

    ———

    Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.

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