A resident of the small town of Saint-Hippolyte, located less than an hour from Montreal, was quite shocked when she saw a rare sighting of a lynx in her backyard last week.
“I still don’t realize I saw this at my house! […] I have a small dog and let’s say that I no longer let it go outside to do its business for the moment”, launches with a sneer Kelly Domingue, in an interview with the Log.
It was the first time that this resident of the Hameaux du Boisé estate in Saint-Hippolyte had seen a lynx in her yard. His first instinct was to film the beast with his cell phone to immortalize the moment that occurred around 9:30 a.m. on February 13.
Photo provided by Kelly Domingue
Kelly Domingue says she’s been worried about her little dog, Chewy, ever since she saw a lynx in her backyard. Credit: Photo provided by Kelly Domingue
“I haven’t seen him since. I think it was a one time deal, explains Ms. Domingue. I didn’t even think to report it because I didn’t believe a lynx was in front of me. I feel lucky in a way.”
Never seen
The mayor of Saint-Hippolyte, Yves Dagenais, confirms that he has never seen a lynx in his city in nearly 56 years.
City of Saint-Hippolyte
Yves Dagenais, mayor of Saint-Hippolyte, has never seen a lynx in his city in over 50 years. Credit: City of Saint-Hippolyte
“It’s the first time I’ve seen this at home! Hey, he’s bigger too!” exclaims Mr. Dagenais, discovering the video of the animal on social networks.
This eight-second sequence was broadcast on Friday on Kelly Domingue. It quickly went viral. At the time of publishing this text late Sunday afternoon, the video had been viewed more than 450,000 times.
We see in particular the wild feline advancing quietly near the house of the Hippolytoise.
“I am not surprised to see it in this very wooded sector of the city, calmly comments the mayor. We will have to hear the answers of the authorities to know what is happening with him.
Citizens warned
THE Log contacted the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) for this matter.
Our questions about this rare sighting of lynx, however, remained unanswered on Saturday and Sunday.
For its part, the city of Saint-Hippolyte warned its citizens on Sunday of the presence of the lynx. “If you come across a wild feline, it is advisable not to approach the animal, as this helps to accustom it to human presence and this can play against it and against public safety”, recalls- we.