June 13
 From the Colorado Division of Wildlife called DOW Insider

Debbie's comment- The bobcat (lynx) population is on the raise in Iowa;
but, still on the endangered species list. It has been up for delisting
and was not delisted. Several people in the Sierra Club wrote comments
during the delisting comment period. Iowa DNR continues to work on
understanding the situation in Iowa.

Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) researchers discovered two more lynx
dens in southwestern Colorado. Each of the dens contained three lynx
kittens. This brings the total number of lynx kittens born in Colorado
this spring to fourteen, by five different females.

According to Tanya Shenk, The DOW s lead lynx researcher; the fourth den
to be found in Colorado was discovered on a steep, isolated slope with
heavy downfall on Wednesday, June 11. It contained two female kittens
and one male. The kitten s eyes were closed and ears were open and they
looked to be in great condition. The female lynx, which bore the
kittens, was released as part of the reintroduction effort on March 19,
1999. The male mate is assumed to be one of the reintroduced lynx that
lost its radio signal collar.

The fifth den to be found in Colorado was discovered on Thursday, June
12. It contained two males and one female kitten. Again, the eyes were
closed but the kitten s ears were open and the kittens looked to be in
excellent condition. The female, which bore these kittens, was released
in 2000 and its male mate was also released in 2000.

Both dens were located above 10,000 feet in Engelmann Spruce stands.

According to Gary Miller, research leader for the DOW, the additional
kittens are a tremendous step forward for the reintroduction program.

 The researcher are still beaming,  said Miller.  They have really
poured their heart and soul into the program and it is nice to see it
pay off. It has been a long time coming and it just goes to show that
sometimes it takes time for animals to acclimate.

Researchers PIT tagged all of the kittens and took hair samples. At both
dens, the females left the kittens once researchers got closer than 15
feet to the den. In both cases the mother returned to close proximity of
the den and growled while researchers processed the kittens.

The reintroduction of lynx in Colorado began in 1999. To date 129 lynx
have been released with an additional 130 lynx expected to be released
before 2007.

The lynx reintroduction program is primarily funded by Colorado Lottery
money through the Great Outdoors Colorado Program and by the DOW s
Nongame and Endangered Species Checkoff on the Colorado income tax form.

Additional funding is necessary to continue the program. The Colorado
Wildlife Heritage Foundation is working to raise money to keep the
program successful. To learn more about helping the lynx recovery in
Colorado, call the Heritage Foundation at (303) 291-7238.

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