Myrvik had just returned home from work when she looked out of the window at her home in Kirkelian in Leland in Leirfjord municipality on Tuesday.
Out there, she saw a lynx stroll calmly past in the middle of the housing estate.
– Then I thought that here I just have to rush out and try to get a picture, because no one is going to believe me. Here I had to have proof, says Myrvik.
She went out onto the balcony behind the house and stood only a few tens of meters from the lynx.
– Then I expected it to turn and run away, but it didn’t.
– It just stopped and looked at me through a hedge. It seemed very confident.
The lynx just calmly continued up the residential area as if nothing had happened.
Hidden behind some garden bushes, it could be difficult to see the lynx unless you know what you’re looking for.
Photo: Marit Myrvik
Live in an area with a lot of deer
Lynx is one of four large predators in Norway.
The others are wolves, bears and wolverines. The lynx population in 2023 consisted of between 351 and 491 lynxes, according to Predator data.
They prefer deer game, and roe deer are the most common prey. In northern Norway, domestic reindeer are also part of the diet.
In Nordland, the lynx population is spread over most of the mainland.
Myrvik says that it is not surprising that there are lynx around Leland.
– I live in an area with a lot of deer, but there have been fewer and fewer of them over the winter, she says.
But she finds it strange that the lynx should come so close in the middle of the day.
– And that worried me a little too. We have a Facebook group like that in the neighborhood, and I rushed to post the pictures so people could bring in their dogs. They could become easy prey.
Myrvik lives in Leirfjord municipality in the village of Leland. Here it is a short distance from buildings to nature.
SNO: – Not dangerous for humans
– It is not everyday that you see lynx like that.
That’s according to senior advisor Øyvind Skogstad in the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate (SNO).
But even if lynxes are rarely seen in densely populated areas, this does not mean that they never visit densely populated areas.
Øyvind Skogstad is a senior advisor at the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate (SNO).
Photo: Private
– The fact that the lynx is close to buildings and occasionally between houses is probably more common than people realize. There is nothing abnormal for the lynx, he says.
The lynx often lies in a so-called day bed in steep and rugged terrain. It is only at the onset of darkness that it usually hunts.
– But no rule without exception. It may well be out for a walk during the day.
– Is there any reason to be afraid that the lynx could be dangerous for the environment?
– No, I think you shouldn’t overdramatize this. We have no reason to believe that the lynx is dangerous to humans or children, so avoid it.
Nevertheless, pet owners should be alert if lynx are observed near densely populated areas.
– There are examples where lynxes have taken cats, and a few examples where they have taken dogs too. But it is very far between.
But what about the lynx population in Nordland?
– The politicians have decided that we will rely on a population of ten lynx families in Nordland. That corresponds to between 60–70 lynxes in total, says Skogstad.
For several years, fewer lynxes have been registered than the population target.
– But in recent years we have seen an increase.
Nevertheless, it was decided earlier in March that there will be no quota hunting for lynx in 2024.
The reason is that the female quota has been filled due to collisions and claims.
Published 27.03.2024, at 20.27 Updated 28.03.2024, at 13.41