An emaciated lynx cub wandering near a heating pipeline was rescued in Kotelnich.

      In the Kotel'nichsky District a weakened young lynx was rescued after hiding by a heating main for several days and needing help. The young lynx was spotted at the beginning of November: the animal lived on the pipes along Turgenev Street, where local residents photographed and fed it. The animal showed clear signs of emaciation, and attempts to capture it on their own were unsuccessful.

      The lynx was rescued thanks to volunteers from the Big Nest Center for Rehabilitation of Wild Animals. Local animal welfare activists quickly caught the young predator with a live trap and handed it over to the center. Specialists reported that the lynx’s condition was severe: it had shortness of breath, lethargy and severe weight loss — at about six months old the youngster weighed only 6 kilograms, well below the norm.

      The animal was immediately placed under round-the-clock observation. Staff at the center conducted a comprehensive examination at a veterinary clinic in Kirov: a chest CT scan, X-rays and tests. Despite the severe condition, no acute injuries requiring urgent surgery were found, and during treatment the lynx became more active and began eating well. It is now in quarantine and continues its rehabilitation. After treatment is completed, specialists will decide its further fate.

      The Big Nest center reported that treatment and care will require significant resources — medical procedures alone cost almost 19,000 rubles on the first day. The organization has launched a fundraising campaign for the lynx’s continued recovery.

      This is not the first case of a young lynx being rescued in the region. In late 2024 volunteers from the Big Nest caught an extremely emaciated young lynx in Orichi that had been running around the settlement for two days and could barely stand on its legs. At that time the animal weighed less than four kilograms and was on the brink of death. After a lengthy rehabilitation the lynx was sent to the specialized Sirin center in Saint Petersburg, where it continued to recover.

      The Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Kirov Region promised to report further news on the condition of the Kotel'nich lynx later.