CHITRAL, Feb 22: The local wildlife department on Friday freed a captured Himalayan lynx in its natural habitat.

According to divisional forest officer of the wildlife department Imtiaz Ahmad, residents of Chuinj village in Chitral’s Yarkhoon valley have captured the lynx after it descended from high altitudes in search of food.

Mr Ahmad told Dawn that villagers had trapped the lynx in a room on Wednesday night after it killed their goats and sheep and attacked chickens.

He said the wildcat remained in the room with mutton and poultry being fed to it until a wildlife department and Snow Leopard Foundation team showed up, took it to high altitudes and freed in presence of local residents.

SLF research officer Khurshid Ali Shah and conservation officer Mohammad Ayub, who freed the lynx, said the animal was furious in captivity.

They said they struggled to take photograph of the wildcat.

Mr Khurshid said lynx was no more an endangered species in this belt of Hindukush range of mountains.

He said the wildcat was known for its slyness and indefinable nature, which enabled it to protect itself from human beings but it was spotted by one of the remote-sensing cameras that SLF had installed in the area to monitor the movement of snow leopard.

Mr Khursheed said lynx had a sizeable population in the region until 1970s but afterwards, its numbers dropped drastically due to excessive deforestation and ruthless hunting.