Mathieu Patry/FacebookA man in Canada was shocked to find the adorable ‘kitten’ he found in the woods, wasn’t at all what he’d first thought.
Mathieu Patry was on a bike ride in Quebec last month, when he stumbled upon the lonely animal. The small fluffy creature was at the side of a wooded trail near his home.
Presuming the little animal was a kitten, Mathieu disembarked his bike and went to investigate.
Mathieu Patry/FacebookSpeaking to the The Dodo, Mathieu spoke about his first encounter with the little feline:
At first I thought it was a domestic cat. So I got off the mountain bike to go check.
Once he got a closer look however, he noticed the animal didn’t look much like your average house cat. His features were a little more wild than the typical domestic feline, so he began to make guesses about what the adorable ball of fluff might be.
He continued:
I saw his paws and immediately guessed it was a lynx. Then I saw the little round ears, and afterwards, I saw he had just a tiny little tail. I was very surprised to see it was a lynx.
Before you jump to conclusions, no, the man hadn’t stumbled upon an abandoned body spray gift set.
Lynx are, when fully grown, medium sized wild cats. Recognising what it was, Mathieu decided to leave the little guy in the woods, hoping its mother would be somewhere nearby.
The cyclist went on his way, but understandably his mind kept wandering back to the vulnerable creature.
Mathieu went back to the same spot the next day, and found the lynx there again, this time crying out. The youngster’s mother was still nowhere to be seen, so Mathieu decided to take charge.
PixabayHe scooped up the furry animal and took him home, before contacting wildlife rehabbers at a local zoo for some advice as to what to do with the animal. They told him to feed and water the animal until they were able to take him into their expert care.
The following day, Mathieu handed the lynx over to his new carers, who told him the poor animal was much smaller than it should have been for that time of season, suggesting he’d been struggling on his own for some time.
But thanks to Mathieu, the lonely lynx has been given a fighting chance.
The feline’s saviour explained:
The zoo will host him for a while and then release him into the wild, when he is strong enough.
I love all animals, so it was just normal for me to help him if I could. I am very happy to know he is safe and doing well. I am happy he’ll survive. He’s so beautiful.
Hopefully the little lynx will grow big and strong thanks to Mathieu! He’s a real life hero.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.