Video of lynx preying on ducks in B.C. park concerning, says Wildlife B.C.
People should avoid feeding wildlife as it makes them more vulnerable to predation, warns a provincial conservation group after multiple sightings of a lynx at a popular duck feeding spot in Kamloops, B.C.
The lynx was filmed last weekend snatching a duck from a group of birds snacking on seeds left by humans in McArthur Island Park. The entire incident was witnessed by people standing near the animals.
Video of the incident was posted to Facebook on Monday.
Wildsafe B.C. co-ordinator Vanessa Isnardy, who has viewed the video, says she's not sure why it was taken but it would be unethical if the intention, given the multiple sightings of lynx at that spot, was to expose the ducks to predation by providing them with food in the hope of creating a viral video.
"It's unethical to bait or call in any wildlife just to get a photo and to get a reaction," she said Thursday to Shelley Joyce, the host of CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.
Wildcat sightings in B.C. have become more frequent this winter. In Decker Lake in northern B.C., for instance, a farmer grabbed a lynx that killed a chicken in its coop Sunday.
Last Thursday near Trail in southeastern B.C., a bobcat having duck for breakfast was spotted frozen to an icy railway track.
Isnardy says it's unlikely lynx will attack human beings, but she's concerned more conflicts with humans could occur if the animals develop the habit of looking for prey in areas where people feed them.
"We don't want them to become habituated to people," she said. "Animals that become habituated and start connecting with people, with sources of food can potentially become more aggressive or potentially go after small pets."
Isnardy also says relocating these animals to avoid potential conflicts is not a good solution.
"It [relocation] is very stressful for that animal," she said. "They have to be tranquilized, which can be negative for them. They could have a bad reaction to it."
B.C.'s Wildlife Act prohibits feeding dangerous wildlife. Kamloops's Parks and Public Lands Bylaw states no one should injure, molest or disturb wildlife in parks but doesn't specifically say whether that includes feeding animals.
Isnardy says she encourages municipalities to consider adopting bylaws in line with Wildsafe B.C.'s message to the public — which is to give wild animals space and to leave them alone.
Tap the link below to hear Vanessa Isnardy's interview on Daybreak Kamloops:
