The Swedish Hunt :
The lynx hunting season opened up on March 1st and will
run until April 15th.The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has given permission to kill 110 out of the now estimated 1200-1500
Swedish lynx there are left. So far 75 of them have been killed from
the different counties. The highest quotas were issued for the
northern provinces where the lynx pose a treat for the reindeer
herds. Despite the fact that the lynx roam over a wide territory,very few people in Sweden have ever seen one in the wild. This is because the lynx is very elusive and shy and keep to themselves.

Animal protection organizations have long criticized the Environmental Protection Agency for allowing the hunt and the use of traps to catch the lynx. The traps are a cause of great suffering
for the animals.
The main reason given for the hunt of the lynx is to protect domestic animals along with the reindeer. The Swedish government has stated that a hunt may not take place if the annual population is less then 300 animals.however the hunt has been allowed to continue when the annual population has been as low as 200 animals. And despite the fact that the European Union Commission forbids hunting during the mating season,this has also been allowed to occur.For this reason the EU commission has declared the hunt to be illegal.

The history of the lynx in Sweden:
In the early 1800´s Sweden had many lynx throughout the whole
country. But during the years to follow the population of the lynx was drastically reduced due to industrialism and the growing human population.The lynx was then forced to move farther north causing a reduction in their numbers. In the early 1900´s the lynx became almost extinct in Sweden. Because of that they were protected during a period between 1927-1942 which led to their return. By the 1980´s they were once again all throughout the whole country but in the years to follow they began again to drastically disappear.By the time the lynx were protected again in 1991 , the population of them was estimated to only a few hundreds of them.
Today's population of the Swedish lynx is being compromised once again due to poaching, traffic fatalities, and the annual hunt of them.
They are now on the red (endangered )list and if nothing is done about this situation we can lose yet another Great animal to extinction in Sweden! Elsewhere in Scandinavia such as Finland and Norway the lynx situation is said to be stable. Denmark and Iceland do not have any known populations of the lynx.

The lynx in other European countries:
The situation for the lynx in many other European countries is
critical also. In the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Italy the lynx is now extinct. In the 17th century in Britain the lynx was wiped out, but recently there has been calls to reintroduce them in order to curb the overpopulation of deer. The critically endangered Iberian lynx lives in southern Spain and eastern Portugal. Their numbers were so low that killing them has been outlawed since the 1970´s.


The Lynx in North America:
The Canadian lynx lives in Canada and parts of the U.S. such as Michigan and Wisconsin. In the Western part of the U.S. there are lynx also. These animals have specific habitats that they seek out such as dense horizontal cover. A narrow habitat tolerance and an ever-narrowing habitat make for a grim combination and the endangerment of the lynx.


This beautiful animal has been tormented and hunted to (near) extinction throughout the ages. They deserve their place in our world , also to live in freedom. Man must find a way to live along side of them so that they may flourish once again.Please take a minute to make a difference for the lynx and sign the petitions below. Thank you!

► Swedish Lynx Petition
(Please stop hunting of Lynx in Sweden)

► Canadian Lynx ~ Endangered - The Petition Site

► Petition for the U.S. (Help Save the Lynx)

► Save the Iberian Lynx From Extinction - The Petition Site