Pretty Kitty

“Pretty Kitty”

Early one morning, while driving through Kananaskis Country, near Banff, we watched a couple of young bucks sparing alongside the road for over 30 minutes, laughing at their playful antics. It had poured rain all night and the morning was very cool and wet. Suddenly one of the bucks walked over to the edge of the bushes and peered in. He quickly snorted, stomped his foot and jumped back and took off in the opposite direction. Much to our surprise, out walked this very elusive and mysterious wild cat - a gorgeous lynx! It obviously had been sleeping there the whole time as it slowly meandered outward, and as a typical cat, it stopping to yawn, pausing long enough for us to capture this awesome photo, and then slowly meandered back into the forest. It was not the least bit interested in us or the bucks.

Native lore often refers to this animal as the “Keeper of Secrets” symbolizing the unraveling of hidden truths, with an ability to hear what you think.  If this is true, then this lynx must have known how humbled we felt to be in its presence of such a solitary creature. Moments like this last a lifetime!                

- Stan Masters

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