EATONVILLE, Wash. - A Canadian lynx climbed a tree at the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park at Eatonville and remained in the top branches for more than two weeks until it died.

NW Trek

Canadian lynx

After park workers found the carcass Saturday at the base of the tree, a necropsy showed the cat died of dehydration. It had no condition that would have prevented it from climbing down. Officials speculate the animal was simply afraid.

"I've been working in zoos with cats for more than 30 years and I have never seen or heard of anything like this," Deputy Director Dave Ellis said.

"Trek lynx have frequently climbed the trees in their naturalistic exhibit but have always come back down on their own. Several years ago we had a young male that fell out a tree and broke its leg but he was nursed back to health. That was the only other problem with lynx climbing trees in this exhibit since it opened over 20 years ago."

Throughout the time the cat was in the tree, keepers provided a variety of treats and enticements at lower levels of the tree to try to lure the cat down, but it never descended below the 60-foot level.

Research showed no other documented cases of cats staying up in a tree so long unless it was ill or injured.

The wildlife park has two remaining lynx.

A park spokeswoman, Cherilyn Williams, says workers put have sheet metal around tall trees to limit how high the cats can climb.