Nearly half of the radio collar-equipped Lynx in a northern Minnesota study have been killed by other animals or humans, according to an ongoing study by the Natural Resources Research Institute and U.S. Forest Service.
Thirty-three Lynx were captured and fitted with radio or Global Positioning System collars since February 2003 and 16 of them have already been slain.
Eleven lynx were killed in 2005 alone, according to the studys 2005 annual report, which was published Friday, June 30. Of the 11, two were killed by other animals, one was shot illegally and one was trapped and killed accidentally.
One was trapped and killed illegally, one was hit by a train and one was hit by a car. Four died of unknown causes, although two of those found near roads were too decomposed to determine the cause of death.
Scientists are unsure if the rate extends to other lynx in the wild or if the lynx population may be threatened.
In addition to the 16 Lynx from the study, 16 other Minnesota Lynx have been confirmed killed, according to Phil Delphey, a Minneapolis-based biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Those lynx also died from a variety of causes, including seven from being hit by vehicles, three from being shot and six from trapping.
Over the past 36 months there have been at least 80 lynx confirmed in Minnesota using DNA testing. Based on survey data, some scientists estimate 200 or more lynx live in the northern third of the state.
Posted: July 3, 2006, 5:00 a.m. EST