Rancher Ed Oliver, who runs cattle near here, said he isn't worried about the lynx killing livestock but he is concerned that they will lead the federal government to take away grazing permits. Gene Byrne, a Division of Wildlife biologist, said he does not expect any threats against the lynx. It's a nocturnal animal. Yellowstone Wolf a Tourist Draw Wildlife activists say the reintroduction of the wolf into Yellowstone National Park has been such a success that it is now a bigger attraction for visitors than the grizzly bear. In Arizona, five of 11 Mexican gray wolves released last year have been shot.
Officials plan to release more, but in more remote areas.
The San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado, where the lynx will be released, are about as remote an area as any in the Western states. Often buried by heavy snow, the area is more than 100 miles from the nearest interstate highway and is the largest roadless wilderness in Colorado. The lynx thrives in areas above 8,000 feet, living off the snowshoe hare. The lynx itself has large, snowshoe-like paws, good for marching through the snow or as a base for leaping to grab its prey. The San Juans have a higher concentration of the snowshoe hare than the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming, the nearest existing population of lynx.