Surprise catch by trappers helps IDFG research

Two trapping partners targeting bobcats in the West Cabinet Mountains of North Idaho were surprised when they discovered not a bobcat, but a lynx in one of their traps.

They called the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to report the non-target capture.

It just so happens that Fish and Game had recently started its own effort to capture and collar lynx and wolverine in the Panhandle as part of the Multi-species Baseline Initiative.

The initiative is a collaborative effort of more than 15 organizations collecting information on 20 wildlife species which have been identified as rare or potentially in need of additional conservation efforts in Idaho and Washington.

When the call came in, Fish and Game already had capture kits ready, complete with satellite tracking collars purchased by the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

Fish and Game immediately sent a biologist to work with the trappers to safely weigh, take blood and hair samples for DNA analysis, and release the 17-pound adult female lynx, unharmed by the trap and sporting a new tracking collar.

The satellite tracking collar will allow biologists to determine the animal's home range, assess reproductive status, and provide land managers with important information about how lynx use the local landscape.

By identifying a non-target animal and promptly notifying Fish and Game, these two trappers helped further the cause of wildlife conservation, Fish and Game said in a news release last week.