Category: Montreal Biodome

On June 4, the Espace Pour La Vie (Space for Life) Biodôme in Montréal welcomed
three Lynx kittens into the world. The kittens are developing normally
with their mother’s attentive care. She diligently nurtures her little ones,
nursing them, cleaning them and keeping them warm. Their first medical exam
found that they are one male and two females, all growing healthy and fast. Ten
weeks after the birth, the kittens and their mother transitioned to a new home:
a Laurentian maple forest exhibit viewable by the public. Their arrival in the
habitat signals a new phase in their development, during which they will hone
their reflexes with their mother’s help. Visitors can see the Lynx kittens
playing together, interacting with their mother and exploring their environment
freely. The father will be kept separately in the nighttime quarters, as the
female could perceive him as a threat to her offspring.

Both adult Lynx are seven years old, and this
is the third time the pair have reproduced at the Biodôme—a clear sign that they are healthy
and happy in their habitat. In the summer of 2012, the female gave to litter of
three, but only one kitten survived to adulthood. Caretakers at the Biodôme
decided to supplement that kitten’s diet with bottle-feeding while allowing it
to continue nursing from its mother. In January of 2013, the healthy adult
offspring moved to another institution to be paired with another lynx for
breeding. This year’s litter is growing even more quickly under the care of the
more-experienced mother; this time, caretakers did not need to intervene with
extra feedings. As the captive Lynx population’s growth rate is very low, the birth of new kittens increases its genetic diversity. This year's litter may eventually be moved to other institutions to form new breeding pairs. 

Photo credits: Space for Life / Claude Lafond

See and read more after the fold!

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Last week, a 10-week
old Lynx cub made his debut at the Montréal
Biodôme. Visitors will now get to see the cub play hide and seek, learn to climb trees, and leap from
rock to rock … all under the watchful eye of his mother.

In May, the animal keepers at the Biodôme suspected that the
six-year-old female Lynx was pregnant, judging by her weight gain and her behavior. Since
she was looking for a dark, safe place to give birth, a wooden shelter was built over
her rest area. The Lynx cub was born during the night of May 26-27, in good health, while two
other cubs died within just a few days. The surviving cub has done very well since then.
He is still nursing, but has recently been developing a taste for small game. On July 26,
during his general check-up, he received his first vaccination without any complaints. He
weighs just over 5 pounds (2.3 kg).

Over the next few months, the young Lynx will be alone with his
mother in the Laurentian Maple Forest habitat. During this time the six-year-old father
will be kept in night quarters. Just as in the wild, the female raises her cub
alone, since males can be a threat to their offspring.

Lynx have a low success rate when it comes to breeding in
captivity. From 1999 to 2009, the average North American birth rate for Canada Lynx was 1.45
cubs per year. The Biodôme,a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the
Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), is very proud of this important birth.

Photo Credits: © Biodôme de Montréal
(Claude Lafond)