Lynx Trapping Prohibited On Kenai

The Anchorage Daily News – via the Associated Press – reported today that lynx trapping will be halted on the Kenai Peninsula over concerns about numbers.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced last week that the trapping season will stay closed for the Peninsula and the region east of Turnagain and Knik arms, the Peninsula Clarion reported.

The size of lynx populations depends on the abundance of snowshoe hare, the cat’s main food source. The openings and closings of trapping seasons are typically based on the hare population size.

The hare populations are at the end of a low phase after peaking in the winter of 2011-12, according to the game department.

“The cycles always vary and they vary in intensity, depending on a lot of vegetative and climate conditions,” said Jeff Selinger, a biologist for the game department. “But generally speaking they’re 10 to 12 years, somewhere in there.”