Footage fit for Discovery Channel
A Grande Prairie photographer has captured footage worthy of the Discovery Channel in what he calls “one of the most epic experiences of my life.”
Last Wednesday evening, Amos Wiebe was driving on a logging road near Grande Prairie, looking for owls to photograph. In the fading daylight, he noticed a commotion about 100 feet up in the trees. It was two lynx, apparently having a fight.
“I quickly stopped my truck, grabbed my camera and started filming,” Wiebe said.
As he waded through deep snow, the forest echoed with blood-curdling screams.
“It made your hair stand on end; it was ear-piercing. It sounded like a female was being murdered out in the bush.”
In fact, a female lynx was trying to rebuff the advances of a lovestruck male. The male soon climbed down and departed, while the object of his affection remained in the tree.
“She looked at me a few times, but just kind of closed her eyes and looked away, didn’t care about me at all,” Wiebe said.
The photographer hunkered down for more than an hour before the lustful lynx returned, passing within feet of him. Another lynx followed behind it, probably one of last year’s kittens, Wiebe said.
Hoping the male would turn its head for a photo, Wiebe meowed.
The cat ignored him and went sniffing toward the tree.
“He ran up that tree again and tried to mate with her again, but she started swatting and screaming.”
The spurned lynx eventually climbed down the tree again, apparently crestfallen.
“Finally when he came back down he just walked away slowly in another direction … He looked like he was not very happy that he didn’t get lucky.”
At that point, Wiebe decided to leave. It was getting dark and he was in a vulnerable position, with snow up past his waist. The lynx didn’t worry him as much as the thought of a cougar possibly being attracted by the noise, he said. He was armed with bear spray. “I thought, ‘I better get out of here before I get eaten alive by something else.’ ”
Wiebe posted his video on his Famous Amos Photography page on Facebook. It had drawn about a million views as of Monday afternoon and some “big agencies” had reached out to him, wanting to purchase the footage, he said.