The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the party responsible for killing a federally-protected Canada lynx near Twig, Minnesota. A dead, radio-collared Canada lynx was recovered November 3, 2005 just off Beckman Road about four miles northwest of Twig, which is located about 10 miles northwest of Duluth in St. Louis County. Canada lynx are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, and killing wild lynx is prohibited by the federal law.
The lynx is one of several dead Canada lynx recovered from St. Louis County over the past year according to Resident Agent in Charge Pat Lund, of the Service’s law enforcement office in St. Paul, Minn. “Like other federally threatened and endangered species in the Midwest, protection of Canada lynx in Minnesota is a priority for us. We believe someone may have information about these lynx killings that will help us in our investigations,” Lund said.
Last month, Kraig Grivette, 40, of Aurora, Minn., paid a $2,025 federal violation notice for illegally shooting a Canada lynx in November 2005. Grivette initially told a Minnesota DNR conservation officer that he shot the lynx while deer hunting, claiming the cat took a step toward him after he tried without success to scare it off. Grivette later admitted to a Service special agent that he knew the cat was a lynx and that it was not acting in a threatening manner when he shot it. The maximum penalty for the unlawful take of a Canada lynx is six months imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine
Canada lynx have short, solid black-tipped tails, long-legs and large feet. They are similar in appearance to bobcats, and weigh about 20 to 30 pounds. Lynx are solitary animals that avoid people. “They feed almost exclusively on snowshoe hare, squirrels and other small mammals and pose little threat to humans or their pets. There’s no excuse for killing one,” Lund said.
Any person with information about the lynx killed near Twig, Minn., or other lynx killings should contact Resident Agent in Charge Patrick Lund at 651-778-8360.
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, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management 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 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.
