Maine Federal Judge Sees Truth In Lynx Lawsuit

The Canada lynx has made a remarkable comeback in Maine, mostly due to natural causes coupled with the results of timber harvesting and much in spite of what some egotists think implementing the Endangered Species Act has done. That doesn’t however mean the animal shouldn’t be reasonably protected.

The lynx in Maine lives on the outer fringes of its natural range. History has shown that the lynx follows the comings and goings of the snowshoe hare, its favorite food. When the hare is abundant in Maine, the lynx begins showing up partaking of the readily available food supply. The subsequent growth after timber harvesting provides great habitat for the snowshoe hare.

What’s unfortunate is that if and when the snowshoe hare population shrinks, as it will sooner or later, so too will the Canada lynx and once again man will be blamed for the act, much the same way that natural climate change affects wildlife and man gets blamed.

The Wildlife Alliance of Maine and the Animal Welfare Institute, who seem to be trying to make a living off suing the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, sued in court in order to force the early closure of the Maine trapping season in order to protect the lynx. During this trapping season, two lynx were reported killed through trapping and both cases were the result of not following the laws regulating trapping procedures. The trapping season ends at the end of this month.

Judge John Woodcock, who has heard more than one case involving the Canada lynx, ruled that the plaintiffs failed to show that Canada lynx were being harmed through lawful trapping measures.

From the Bangor News:

�Here, the plaintiffs have demonstrated that if a trapper violates Maine law and regulation, it may and likely will result in the illegal taking of a lynx,� Woodcock wrote. �However, plaintiffs have produced no new evidence of harm to lynx caused by trappers acting in compliance with existing state law.

�Accordingly, plaintiffs have not shown that the state�s licensure scheme as recently modified violates the [Endangered Species Act],�

In the comments section of the article, one reader likened the action to banning all driving because one person chose to drive drunk and kill someone. There are other interesting comments as well. This reader clearly doesn’t understand, or then maybe he does, what the Endangered Species Act is intended to do.

It’s nice to see the “trapping community” say it’s okay to kill a federally listed endangered species.

The only good lynx is a dead lynx, apparently.

Typical blather from someone attempting to paint trappers as only interested in killing lynx. At the same time another reader dumps on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

When IF&W starts to represent real science and the majority of Maine then WAM [Wildlife Alliance of Maine] will not be necessary.

Isn’t this typical of the environmentalists, anti-trapping/hunting and animal rights groups? Because fish and game science does align with their own ideology, they claim that science is not being used in the decision making of wildlife management – they are right and the rest of the world is wrong.

All of this is very much a waste of money and resources.

Tom Remington