A very rare recording was created when the crew of a helicopter returning from a mission tested a thermal camera near Turku Airport.
On Tuesday, the Border Guard’s Surveillance Flight Squadron released a clip recorded by a helicopter’s thermal camera, in which a lynx gives a ride to a lone wolf.
– It clearly makes physical contact, and you can see that the wolf is going really crazy. The ilves defends itself strongly by clawing and attacks as such, says a specialist researcher at the Finnish Natural Resources Agency.
A similar encounter has reportedly never been caught on video before.
– I don’t know anything similar. This is a very nice recording, Holmala marvels.
It would have been fun with the wolf pack
The wolf is dangerous for lynx cubs and kills them every year. In one-on-one encounters with a wolf, an adult lynx usually comes out victorious, although there is no information from Finland about wolves killing a lynx.
– If there had been a pack of wolves there, it would have been bad for the puppies at the very least, Holmala assesses the setting of the video.
After driving away, the mother returns to the cubs. According to Holmala, the lynx’s erect tails indicate the tension of the situation.
The lynx gives birth to cubs in the spring. They move with the mother for a year.
Lynx estrus is at the end of February and beginning of March. At this time, the male just follows the female from a good distance.
– If the male had come close now, it would have gotten a ride, although not quite as violently, says Holmala.
The camera was tested in an uninhabited area
The encounter was noticed when the crew of a helicopter returning from a mission was testing a thermal camera about 20 kilometers from Turku Airport.
The place is by no means exceptional for a meeting between a lynx and a wolf, says Katja Holmala.
– Western Finland has a solid wolf population and also lynx. Basically, a wolf and a lynx fit well in the same landscape, and usually the mother tries to avoid wolves.