A very special Canada lynx

Canada lynx are said to be elusive and secretive but that hasn’t been my experience. Every now and then, you come across an animal that doesn’t follow the expected behaviour of their species, and appears to seek human company from certain individuals. I’m not referring to habituated animals that have learned to beg for food, or ones that live in a campground and are comfortable around any person they see. Some animals appear to develop a bond with a chosen person or people while avoiding others. I can’t explain this behaviour, but I’m lucky to have experienced it.

一只非常特别的加拿大猞猁

据说加拿大猞猁是难以捉摸和神秘的，但这并不是我的经验。时不时地，你会遇到一种不遵循其物种预期行为的动物，并且似乎某些个体会寻求人类的陪伴。我指的不是那些习惯性的动物，不是那些已经学会了乞求食物、或者住在营地里的、而且见到任何周围的人都很舒服的动物。有些动物似乎与被选中的人或人建立了联系，而能避开了其他人。我无法解释这种行为，但我很幸运地遇到了这样的动物。

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

In March 2018, just before leaving for a trip, I received a message from a friend who lives in northern Ontario. He said he and his wife had a female lynx visiting their property. They kindly invited me to stay but unfortunately the timing was all wrong with my upcoming trip to Florida. I was so disappointed that I was going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a wild lynx in Ontario. When I returned home on March 18, I was surprised to get another message informing me that the lynx was still making regular visits. I dropped everything, packed my bags— again—and was out the door by 4 a.m. the next morning, hopeful the lynx would still be there when I arrived.

千载难逢的机会

在2018年3月，就在启程旅行前，我收到了一位住在安大略省北部朋友的留言。他说，他和他的妻子有一只雌猞猁来到了他们的家。他们亲切地邀请我留下来，但不幸的是，这与我佛罗里达的旅行时间相撞。我很失望，我会错过这个千载难逢的机会---在安大略省看到一只野生的猞猁。当我在3月18日回到家时，我惊讶地收到另一条消息，通知我猞猁仍在定期访问。我放下了所有东西，又收拾好了行李，第二天凌晨4点就出门了，希望我到的时候猞猁还在。

My first encounter with a Canada lynx

It was a long drive, but after a few wrong turns, I finally made it and saw my friend on the driveway. As I got out of the car, he gestured towards a nearby snowbank and there she was, sitting and watching me closely but without any fear. I stood frozen in place, worried that I would spook her. I just watched her for a few minutes, and when the shock wore off, I realized this might be my only time seeing a Canada lynx up close. I pulled my camera from the car and started taking photos. She stayed until dusk and then wandered into the dense forest and disappeared into the night.

我第一次遇到加拿大猞猁

这是一个很长的车程，但经过几个错误的转弯，我终于到了，并看到我的朋友站在车道上。当我下车时，他向附近的一个雪堆做手势，她就在那里，坐着仔细地看着我，但没有任何恐惧。我站在原地不动，担心会吓到她。我只是看了她几分钟，当震惊消失时，我意识到这可能是我唯一一次近距离地见到加拿大猞猁。我从车里拿出相机开始拍照。她一直呆到黄昏，然后徘徊在茂密的森林里，消失在夜色中。

Establishing a routine

The next morning, I looked out my bedroom window and saw her curled up, sleeping on a dug-out bed she’d made in the snow. She stayed for a few hours, disappeared for a while and came back in the afternoon to sit under the bird feeder, waiting for unsuspecting birds and squirrels. This almost daily routine lasted for weeks and I had many chances on my visits to photograph her. She became accustomed to my presence and I kept my distance, allowing her to choose a comfortable proximity. I decided that I would never follow her into the woods because when she was ready to leave, I wanted her to be able to do so without feeling pursued. This was a hard decision as I would have loved to see where she went and have a chance to photograph her in different settings, but it was important that she trusted me and felt safe.

建立常规

第二天早上，我望着卧室的窗外，看到她蜷缩着，睡在自己在雪地里做（挖出来的）一张床上。她呆了几个小时，消失了一会儿，下午又回来坐在喂鸟器下面，等着不知情的鸟和松鼠。这几乎是每天的例行公事，持续了几个星期，我有很多机会来给她拍照。她习惯了我的存在，我保持着距离，让她选择一个舒适的靠近距离。我决定我永远不会跟着她进入树林，因为当她准备离开时，我希望她能够这样做，而不会感到被追赶。这是一个艰难的决定，因为我很想看看她去了哪里，并有机会在不同的场合给她拍照，但重要的是她信任我，感到安全。

I spent many hours watching her sleep when the only movement was an occasional stretch or flick of her ear. Still, it was time well spent. Occasionally, I was able to watch her hunt, groom herself or walk around areas bordering the forest.

我花了很多小时观察她的睡眠，当时唯一的运动是偶尔伸展或轻弹她的耳朵。尽管如此，时间过得还不错。偶尔，我能看到她的狩猎，打扮自己，或者在森林附近的地区散步。

That’s my chair!

One day, I was sitting on a chair just outside the house watching her sleep. Late in the morning she left, so I decided to walk some of the local trails and explore the area. I started my walk and saw lynx prints in the snow and then she appeared ahead of me. She started walking towards me but stopped when she heard someone else approaching. She veered off the trail and into the forest, so I continued my walk. After a few hours I went back to the house to find her sitting under my chair.

那是我的椅子！

一天，我坐在房子外面的椅子上看着她睡觉。早晨晚些时候，她离开了，于是我决定走一些当地的小径，探索一下这个地区。我开始散步，在雪地里看到了猞猁的足迹，然后她出现在我的前面。她开始朝我走来，但当她听到另一个人走近时停了下来。她从小路上拐进森林，我继续走着。几个小时后，我回到房子里，发现她正坐在我的椅子下面。

Bidding farewell

What’s even better than seeing one Canada lynx in the wild? Seeing two! On March 22, I saw a different lynx on the driveway. The newcomer left very quickly, obviously not comfortable with my presence. The next day, I was watching the first lynx sleep when I saw movement in the bush. The other lynx came out into the open and walked up and sniffed the first. At this point, I was sure the original lynx was a female and the new one was a visiting male. She raised her head but didn’t get up and the male lynx gave up and walked away. The sounds of them calling to each other were haunting and beautiful and could be heard often.

告辞

还有什么比在野外看到一只加拿大猞猁更好的事情呢？看到两个！ 在3月22日，我在车道上看到了另外一只猞猁。它走得很快，显然对我的出现感到不舒服。第二天，我正看着第一只猞猁睡觉，这时我看到灌木丛在动。另一只猞猁跑到空地上，走上前去嗅了嗅第一只。在这一点上，我确信原来的那只猞猁是一只雌性的，而新来的访客是一只雄性的猞猁。她抬起头，但没有起来，雄性猞猁放弃了，走开了。他们互相呼唤的声音萦绕在心头，而且很美，而且可以经常听到。

I visited frequently over the winter and last saw the female in early May. There had been the sound of lynx screaming the night before—previously, I’d only heard those sounds in online videos. It’s purely a guess but I think yet another male lynx was in the area and drove the pair away. It was hard knowing that my time with her was over and I never expected to be that lucky again. It was impossible not to worry about her safety after spending so much time with her and due to the special bond we seemed to share. I felt grateful for the time I’d had, but it led to a feeling of loss when she left.

整个冬天我经常去拜访它，最后一次见到那只雌猞猁是在五月初。在之前的一个晚上有猞猁尖叫的声音，过去，我只在有线视频中听到过这样的声音。纯粹是猜测，但我认为该地区还有另外一只雄性猞猁，将这对夫妇赶走了。很难想象我和她在一起的时光已经结束，我再也没想到会再那么幸运了。在与她共度了很多时间之后，我们不能不担心她的安全，更何况我们似乎共享了一条特殊的纽带。我为自己曾经有过的时光而心存感激，但当她离开时，这让我感到失落。

A return to Canada lynx country

After Christmas in 2018, I received another text from my friend telling me that the female was back, much earlier than the previous winter. How could I be this lucky? This time she visited for more than four months and much of my winter was spent up there, eagerly anticipating her visits. Sometimes she’d be gone for a few days but more often than not she’d be in one of her favourite spots when I woke up each morning. It felt as if I was never home but I was exactly where I wanted to be, enjoying the company of my friends and this very special lynx; exploring the outdoors and enjoying every minute, including the intense snowstorms and temperatures that occasionally hit -50°C with the wind chill! It was the experience of a lifetime and included moments I will always treasure.

重返加拿大猞猁的故乡

2018年圣诞节过后，我收到朋友的另一封短信，告诉我：那只雌猞猁又回来了，比以前的冬天要早得多。我怎么会这么幸运？ 这次她访问了四个多月，而我整个冬天的大部分时间都在那儿度过，渴望她的到来。 有时候，她走了几天，但是当我每天早晨醒来时，她经常会出现在她最喜欢的地方之一。对于她来说，好像我从未到过家，但我就在我想去的地方，享受着朋友们的陪伴和这只非常特别的猞猁。到户外探索，享受每一分钟，包括强烈的暴风雪和低温，有时因风寒而达到-50°C！ 那是一生的经历，包括我将永远珍惜的时刻。