Lynx photos available for downloading at
http://northeast.fws.gov/lynximag.html
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the disappearance of a radio-collared lynx near Perham, Maine. The radio collar, recovered on March 25, was cut off the lynx. Investigators presume foul play, and they suspect the lynx is dead. Anyone with information about the incident should contact Service Law Enforcement agents at 207/469-6842 or Operation Game Thief at 800/ALERT US (800/253-7887).
The lynx, an adult female, was raising five lynx kittens. The health and location of the lynx kittens are also unknown.
The federal Endangered Species Act protects lynx. The maximum penalty for killing a lynx is six months in jail and a $25,000 fine.
The lynx was radio collared in 2003 as part of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Lynx Study. Game wardens with the Maine Warden Service and special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have teamed up to investigate this serious incident.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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