Lynx rescued from power line support in Siberia

A lynx that climbed a power line support was rescued in Khakassia (a republic in Southern Siberia, Russia). The pole was not connected to power supply. The incident took place near the town of Chernogorsk on November 8. 

The animal was transported for quarantine at the Wildlife Center, the Ministry of Natural Resources said. 

Rescuers assumed that the big cat was someone’s house pet as the feline was not afraid of humans. 

"Most likely, it was stray dogs that made the lynx climb up the power line support. There are houses nearby, the lynx would not have climbed down on its own," one of the rescuers said. 

Night temperatures in Khakassia already drop to -9C. 

The lynx is included in the list of wild animals prohibited from being kept in captivity.

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The bobcat (Lynx rufus), also known as the red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002, due to its wide distribution and large population. Although it has been hunted extensively both for sport and fur, populations have proven stable, though declining in some areas.