The Canadian lynx can get up to 35 pounds and live up to 10 years in the wild.
They have distinct tufts of dark fur on the tips of their ears.
The bobcat is smaller, living up to 8 years in the wild and weighing 15 - 30 pounds.
When we first arrived, everyone was peaceful...
Then suddenly, together with the other nearby animals (such as the fox in the background), they all became extremely excited. The cats walked continuously in a circle around their pen. It took us a while to realize that it was almost mealtime.
They made soft meows and licked their lips a lot!
The next enclosure was extremely large and contained four baby black bears. They followed us (and another group of tourists) the entire way around their compound ... from the logs, to the lake to the hay shed.
These four cubs were born earlier this year (late January/early February). They were the size of a stick of butter at birth. They were kept with their mothers for three months but then separated for their safety. In the wild, 40% of the baby bears don't survive their first year. Many are killed by adult male bears.
Hoping for handouts. They can hear twice as well as we can and hear 100 times better.
A mixture of colors ... blond, cinnamon, brown and black
Goofing off
Exploring
The bears followed us to their swimming hole...
... and finally to a small barn filled with hay. They then took turns battling each other. While no one seemed to get hurt, the fights looked very intense!
