Swimming lynx caught on video crossing Gander Lake

Not all cats hate water, evidently, as illustrated by a lynx Tony Moylescaptured on video that he thinks swam 550 to 650 metres across Gander Lake on Saturday.

The big cat wasted no time making itself scarce when it reached land, but definitely looked tired,Moylestold CBCNewfoundland Morning.

"I more or less just went by it just to see if it was going to make it," Moylessaid.

"It seemed healthy enough, and it was a lynx swimming quite fine. I was just amazed by it, seeing how good it was swimming."

Lynx swims across Gander Lake

6 years ago

Duration 1:49

You don't see this every day.

At first, the adult wildcat swam close to the boat he was on with a group, Moyles said, and then kept its distance for the rest of the journey. He didn't want to cause any more distress to the animal, so his group just sat and watched after realizing the lynx would likely make it to land.

Moyles isan outdoors and wilderness guide for Caribou Pond Outfitters, so he has plenty of wilderness experience in the area, but said he hasn't seen anything like this before.

• Wild cat spotted by Terrace Bay post office

"The closest thing I'veseen to that is probably a squirrel," he laughed.

It appears to be a unique sight for many others as well; the video he posted on his Facebook page had30,000 views as of Tuesday morning.

With files from CBCNewfoundland Morning

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