Wild predator keeps residents of a village in western Kazakhstan in fear for several months
Since June, the lynx has regularly broken into the shed to attack poultry. A few days ago, the local resident managed to catch the thief at the scene of the crime and even filmed it on his phone.
"At first, I thought it was a cat. I remember thinking, 'Wow, that's a big one,' and there it was, sitting boldly and eating. Then it turned around—it was a lynx. It jumped up onto the roost. Yesterday, it killed five chickens. In total, I've lost about 40 over the summer. It stole them gradually," said Petropavlovka resident Nikolay Poddubny.
According to the villager, the lynx visited the shed almost every week. After several attacks, the owner began locking the enclosure, but he accidentally left the door open the previous evening.
"It's a young lynx. As long as I've lived here, I've never encountered them. They say it might be living in a cave somewhere; we have caves about twenty kilometers from the village. Or perhaps it's an escapee. But we couldn't catch it," the villager added.
The administration of the Kargaly district suggests the animal may have crossed over from neighboring Russia in search of refuge, citing deforestation as a possible reason. Authorities are now working to locate the predator and determine if it poses a threat to local residents.
Previously, we reported on a wolverine captured by a camera trap in the Markakol Nature Reserve. The footage, taken in April, was released by reserve staff. According to experts, the wolverine is known for its great strength and endurance despite its relatively small size. This predator leads a secretive lifestyle and is rarely encountered by humans.