Authorities in Maine are looking to arrest whoever shot and killed a Canada lynx in the northern part of the state this week.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said it received a report of a dead lynx along Mouse Island Road in Perham. Investigators determined that the wild cat had been shot less than 24 hours earlier.

Canada lynx are a federally protected species and were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2000.

“It is a federal offense to harass, trap, hunt, or kill a lynx in the contiguous United States,” the department said in a statement. “The shooting of this animal was unnecessary, conducted without regard for its protected status, and left to waste.”

The Maine Operation Game Thief, a nonprofit organization that works with the Maine Warden Service to combat illegal hunting, is offering a $3,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for killing the animal. 

Anyone with information can call 1-800-ALERT-US or submit an online tip at maineogt.org. 

Lynx are similar to bobcats, which are more commonly found in New England, but have larger paws, distinguishing black ear tufts and can weigh up to 30 pounds. Their main prey is the snowshoe hare. Their range covers the northernmost portions of New Hampshire and Maine, but there was a rare sighting in Vermont last year. 

It’s been estimated that there are between 750 and 1,000 adult lynx in Maine.Â