with their ferocious reputation razor-sharp teeth and formidable claws
it's sometimes hard to believe that bigger wild cats are related to the
humble felines we call pets still such larger cats have a distinctively bigger
bite than the domestic variety so when a Canadian lynx is owner attempts to
stroke him like a pet how do you think you'll react Canadian lynx is can be
found throughout the whole of Canada and in some parts of the United States
well exclusive to North America they're closely related to the Iberian and
Eurasian Lynx both of which are found in Europe closer to home though the species
also counts Bobcats as cousins on average Canadian lynx is our 23 inches
tall and 35 inches long this makes them about twice the size of your average
house cat but because they tend to live solitary lives and make their homes away
from human civilization they're known as the great ghosts of the north
indeed they tend to reside in densely forested areas where they scout out
their dens and hidden nooks and crannies and thanks to their large eyes and
distinctive pointy ears Canadian Lynx's are perfectly suited to hunting at night
they mainly eat snow hares although they will catch other forms of small mammals
when hares are scarce the cat's predators meanwhile are coyotes Cougars
and wolves and humans also want the animals for their fur there's never been
an abundance of lynxes in the United States but they were traditionally found
in as many as 25 states however their numbers have dramatically declined due
to loss and fragmentation of their habitat indeed things got so bad for the
cat that in 2000 the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as
threatened in the lower 48 states but while it's gotten harder to catch a
glimpse of the Canadian lynx in the wild many are available to view at zoos and
that's where max comes in yes the infant Lynx was born at a zoo in
May 2011 before being released to wildlife educator for an adoption
Hoffman began working with animals as a zookeeper at Hoosick Falls New York in
2002 when the zoo closed six years later however she took out a part-time job at
a Natural History Museum in her free time - she taught wildlife education
courses there for little max found himself in perfectly capable hands
in fact max appears to have settled in well in his new environment
so well it seems that after almost five years in Hoffman's care the Lynx has
apparently forgotten that he's a medium-sized wild cat indeed
extraordinary footage posted by the animal educator shows just how much
trust exists between the pair the video which was posted to YouTube shows max
purring loudly as he's created by Hoffman with the promise of a stroke the
Lynx lifts himself towards his Handler and gently bombs his head on her hand
then as Hoffman strokes him the cat's purrs get louder and louder just like
any domesticated felines after a while the adorable animal sinks to the ground
as he relaxes to his fullest he even rests his head on his paws and
closes his eyes thoroughly enjoying the pleasurable massage just then Hoffman
begins scratching max under his chin which as any cat owner knows cats can't
resist surrendering to his master's advancements max rolls on his back and
wraps his paws lovingly around Hoffman's arm all the while the felines Perth
resonates throughout the room it appears from the video that max has a lot more
in common with the humble house cat than may have been previously thought in a
caption that accompanied the heartwarming video Hoffman explained max
links the educational animal ambassador takes a moment to get some good
scratching before he sits down for his meal he was born at a zoo in May 2001
he's not completely domesticated but not wild either Hoffman added he educates
the public on the endangered Canada lynx in hope that people will be driven to
conserve our environment and protect our wildlife he is not declawed during the
winter he weighs 40 pounds and some are about 34 he has about four inches of fur
in this video which makes him look fat I mean fluffy
since the video was posted in January 2016 it's been mute and impressive
700,000 times it's also attracted thousands of comments in fact many of
the observations marvel at these similarities between Max and
domesticated felines it's just like a giant pussycat so cute commented one
YouTube user my cat is the exact same body movement pattern when I pet him a
can't really is a cat in all sizes and in another it's just a matter of scale
in terms of how dangerous they can be otherwise their behavior in most species
is pretty much the same as your common house cat one more set
but while he may look cute Max is still a semi wild animal therefore his
behavior isn't always predictable when asked if the cat had ever hurt her or
others Hoffman responded max has no contact with anyone except myself so
he's not injured anyone I have gotten a black eye and a couple good scratches
but no bite marks and none of the injuries were from aggression just
stupid accidents still max was just a baby when Hoffman acquired him so he
would have been easier to Train than most
in fact videos from his first months in his new home showed the Lynx being
taught how to walk on a lead poor footage features max at his first
educational visit and although he appeared nervous at first
he soon eased into his new role but when max isn't out helping teach youngsters
about bigger cats like him he's at home with Hoffman where he is an indoor and
an outdoor enclosure according to Hoffman the Lynx loves
being out in the snow the most it makes him frisky in wild she said he rolls in
it licks and sniffs it normally I wouldn't allow the adrenaline rush but
sometimes you just have to give a little but while he evidently loves being on
the open max will never be able to live out in the wild like other Canadian
lynxes as he was born in a zoo the cat is probably too domesticated to live
among others of his kind he also has to take regular medication to fight an
ailment his pancreas doesn't function properly and therefore he needs enzymes
on his meat daily Hoffman explained so although we probably won't contribute to
the population of Canada Lynx's with his own Cubs Max is still doing his part for
the protection of his species as an animal ambassador max is helping
children better understand the need to secure a safe future for his species
education of our next generation is the only hope for the survival of our
endangered and threatened animals Hoffman said I hope you liked this video
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