Winter Royalty

Megan Lorenz of Etobicoke spent months bonding with and photographing a spectacular 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.

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.

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.