Whitehorse residents are being warned to look out for lynx, which are making rare forays into the city — and attacking pets — in a desperate search for food.

It is unusual to see lynx in the city, but Yukon conservation officers say the reclusive animals are experiencing a shortage of their usual food source, the snowshoe hare.

"When you get to the extreme end of the [lynx's] behaviours, rather than starving to death, they're going to look at pets for a food source," conservation officer David Bakica told CBC News on Thursday.

Bakica said officers have killed at least two lynx so far, including one that had killed a dog at a home in the McIntyre subdivision. That lynx appeared to be in "very poor condition" and was destroyed on-site, he added.

Coming close to people

At least two more lynx have been spotted in the city, particularly around the Porter Creek subdivision.

Lynx are not known to attack humans, but Bakica said the hungry animals are becoming less wary around people.

"If the circumstances dictate, we may try and dart this lynx and remove it. However, with that comes a lot of problems as well," he said.

"If we lose one of these darts in the snow and somebody picks it up in the summertime, and it still got a lot of active drug in it, the drug can be very hazardous to people. So circumstances have to be just right. And failing that, I mean, we may have to destroy the lynx; we may have to shoot it."

Whitehorse RCMP Sgt. Don Rogers is urging residents to remove any potential food sources in and around their yards, as well as keeping a close eye on small children and pets outside.

"If you've got a small pet, you know, leave them inside for a while until the lynx moves on and finds himself another food source," Rogers said.

Authorities are also warning people not to approach or feed the wandering lynx.

Lynx are usually found in forests throughout most of the Yukon, except in the Arctic coastal plain, according to the Yukon Environment Department.