The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says sightings of Canada lynx are on the rise in the Northeast Kingdom.
Officials say there were only four confirmed sightings of the animals in Vermont between the late 1700s and early 2000s but say sightings have been increasing every year since 2003.
The department is doing surveys to determine the extent and distribution of the animal in Vermont.
Lynx are listed as threatened under the federal endangered species act and as endangered in Vermont. They are rarely seen because they are nocturnal and secretive.
State biologist Chris Bernier said the most confirmed lynx sightings have been on publicly owned lands in the Nulhegan Basin at Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Essex County.