Ski-run surprise: Lynx stroll past crowds in rare sightings

January 5, 2017 at 2:58 p.m. | Updated January 5, 2017 at 3:05 p.m.

by Associated Press

This Dec. 15, 2016 photo provided by Dontje Hildebrand shows a lynx walking along a highway in Molas Pass outside of Silverton in southwestern Colorado. Only about 50 to 250 lynx are believed to be living in the wild in Colorado, and sightings are rare. They were native to Colorado but virtually disappeared from the state by the 1970s because of hunting, poisoning and development. (Dontje Hildebrand via AP)
This Dec. 15, 2016 photo provided by Dontje Hildebrand shows a lynx walking along a highway in Molas Pass outside of Silverton in southwestern Colorado. Only about 50 to 250 lynx are believed to be living in the wild in Colorado, and sightings are rare. They were native to Colorado but virtually disappeared from the state by the 1970s because of hunting, poisoning and development. (Dontje Hildebrand via AP)

DENVER (AP) - Some elusive lynx have been parading past awe-struck Colorado residents and visitors this winter, electrifying social media and giving biologists reason to smile.

One of the rare, fluffy-looking cats strolled across the Purgatory resort in southwestern Colorado last week, threading through a crowd of skiers and snowboarders who stopped to take videos.

Two weeks earlier, a pair of lynx loped along a mountain highway just a few feet from Dontje (DON'-yay) Hildebrand's car. Hildebrand says his heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he realized what he was seeing.

Lynx are medium-size cats with broad paws that work like snowshoes, letting them walk across powdery snow.

Only about 50 to 250 live in the wild in Colorado. They're protected under the Endangered Species Act in the contiguous 48 states.

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