Some trapping is being done by inexperienced trappers and lynx are escaping from traps. These facts raise numerous practical and ethical concerns. The importance of blending rigorous science and public support in reintroduction programs can't be emphasized too strongly. It's necessary to know if lynx show enough behavioral flexibility to allow them to adapt to ecosystems differing in climate, vegetation, and food resources. It's also essential that suitable habitat be protected indefinitely.
Lynx are difficult to reintroduce in the best of conditions.
A well-planned effort in New York State was unsuccessful and Swiss biologists have been working for years on a similar project. It's unethical and disingenuous to perform reintroduction experiments when it's believed at the start that half the animals will die. One way to keep the federal government out is to attempt to reintroduce animals to keep their numbers up. Indeed, action by the Federal government could occur as soon as June 1999. Needless to say, I wish these programs and all animals well, but rushing into reintroduction efforts because of political and other pressures is ill-advised.