This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Lynx sighting in San Juan Mountains (Photo Reddit)

DURANGO, Colo. – A rare sighting of two Canadian Lynx was captured in Colorado and the photo has since gone abuzz on Reddit.com, a popular social news and entertainment website.

The photo was taken on Molas Pass between Silverton and Durango on the weekend of Jan. 20 by retired National Park Service employee Steve Chaney.

The rare mammal found mostly in northern forests of Canada and Alaska has been commonly mistaken as a bobcat and satirically described by many online readers as their house cat on a protein trip.

Finding two in the Western slopes of Colorado is incredibly rare.

The animal became extinct in Colorado in 1970. According the Colorado Division of Wildlife, a program to reintroduce the lynx population began in 1997, but took over a decade to reach success. An article published in 5280 magazine in 2007 discussed a problem with poachers in Colorado going after the lynx for their fur.

In  the summer of 2010, the population was said to have been successfully reintroduced thanks to the continued effort of the Colorado Division of Wildlife.