Koshka, the mother lynx, has spent years being kept in captivity and coerced into breeding. They were taken away from her as soon as she gave birth to a litter.
The kittens were either made into fur, which is far more horrifying, or sold as high-end pets all over the world.
Her rescue by Dr. Victor Lukarevsky and his crew marks a happy conclusion to this tale. Watch the video to see how this Lynx overcame challenges to become an amazing, devoted mother.
“When I went to see them, I thought there’s no way that you could get those animals back to health and rehabilitate them,” – Gordon Buchanan.
“But Dr. Victor Lukarevsky pointed out that they were born in the wild, so retained the same wild instincts.”
The Lynx started to improve with a much better diet and more outdoor space to wander.
They had to keep the lynx wary of humans and untrusting of them in order to complete their goal. The Lynx must avoid humans and rely on themselves in order to thrive in the wild.
Sadly, her largest threat in the wild will be people.
To support herself and her young, the lynx also needs to be taught "hunting behavior." To hear a bird flap its wings or a mouse dart across the forest floor, they must train their ears to hunt.
In environments as close to the nature as possible, the kittens are developing well. They must activate their hunting mode as soon as they hear such sounds and make the kill.
Despite spending four years in a cage, the Lynx and her offspring are making good progress throughout their rehabilitation, which will take some time. When mama and her babies are returned to the wild, we hope they live long and healthy lives because a lynx can live up to 15 years in the wild.
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behavior