NOT a bug. Just aggressive coding on lynx behavior.

[JP_Finn]

I just came back from meeting with old man with long beard, picked up dogs from the cabin, headed to the sage who tasked me with meeting the old man... came back to cabin to lynx killing Bunnigus the reindeer. Drat. Happens. So I leave 1 dog in the reindeer pen. Go to cut couple slender trunks and gather some stones for weights to trap that lynx. Come back, get on to tan Bunnigus' hide. To get interrupted by alarm barking. Stopped the tanning, turn around the corner and Grethel the reindeer is dead in the pen.
Now, I'm not sure if I should make Elsa the dog in to mittens for not doing her only job.

Or is there alternative reason for how/why the lynx managed to kill my other reindeer, right next to the dog?

Edit: updated title

[jonottawa]

Isn't a lynx favored in a 1v1 vs a dog? I wouldn't want one of my dogs to attack a lynx, ruin its fur and risk its own life. Its 'only job' is to alarm bark to notify me that there's a lucrative fur waiting for me if I turn around. Sounds like it did its job.

[Tom H]

Not a bug. I've had a lynx dash in and kill a cow I was leading while I was out with a Companion and THREE dogs. Another time, a lynx killed one of the reindeer I had on a rope, held by me while I was cutting through ice for fishing, and be gone before I even saw him.

Fences don't stop them and they're bold enough to walk right up to you. They're more than a match for a dog. Forget the pen. Build a barn.

[Erkka]

Almost slightly off-topic, but I'll comment with a real life story which took place near my home couple of months ago;

It was dark night, and one of my neighbours was driving home, about 80km/h speed on a quiet countryside road. Then, before he could react he saw sudden movement and the car went *THUMP* - being one of the local hunters with a lot of experience in identifying wildlife the driver could tell that it was a lynx crossing the road, got hit by the car. The driver thought it must have been an instant kill, or then the lynx was left suffering in the ditch next to the road. So he went to investigate. At that point I happened to pass by, stopped to see what is going on, and joined the search. We could not find a single hint of the lynx - surprisingly enough, it seemed that it didn't get injured that bad, and was able to retreat into the dark woods. So the neighbour alarmed the local hunting group.

After an hour the hunters had spread around, combing the forest looking for tracks. Also, a skilled dog was sent to track the lynx. After a while the hunters heard the alarm bark of the dog - and the sound was moving, so apparently the lynx was on the move and the dog was chasing it. Before the hunters could reach the location of the sounds they noticed that the sounds weren't moving. So maybe the lynx had collapsed because of injuries? The dog kept on barking, the hunters kept on approaching, and then suddenly they met the dog, who was fleeing in panic. The hunters followed the tracks for a while and found a place where the paw prints on the snow told a clear story; the lynx had been fighting with the dog, and the dog chose to flee - which seems like the most reasonable decision; the dog only has teeth, but the sharp claws of the fierce feline certainly are something to be afraid of.

The morale of the story; lynx are not to be messed with. It is realistic to assume that if a dog goes 1:1 fight with a lynx, the likely outcome is the dog either fleeing or getting seriously injured.

(I think the contemporary hunting dogs are trained to chase a lynx, hoping the lynx climbs a tree and stays there, so that the dog can keep it on hold and bark until the human companions arrive to relieve the situation.)

[JP_Finn]

I didn't expect a dog to engage the lynx. But to bark. Before the lynx is within leap or two of attacking the reindeer. Guess the dog's sniffer (awareness) doesn't work on them? And the lynx are coded more aggressive than the ones around Sarkola&Tottijarvi... those cats flee fast on first bark. Maybe the Spirit of the Forest emboldens them.

I haven't met those aggressive lynxes in-game that'd attack leashed animals. I always, before, have had the flee-at-first-sign-of-danger type.

Even big farm yard tomcats can fend for themselves against a single hound no problem. Usually dog gives wide berth after getting clawed once. Terriers on the other hand, engage hard and the cat might scratch the dog, but if not separated the cat won't make it. Big tomcat can weight up to 8kg, almost same as avg bobcat. And lynx average to 21kg.

You obtained a fine winter lynx fur
It took fine arrow through front shoulder, 2nd fine arrow through skull; bleeding. Spear shaft to head and couple whacks on skull. Now I need to go get alternative kota/camp haulers.

[Tom H]

Almost slightly off-topic, but I'll comment with a real life story which took place near my home couple of months ago;

It was dark night,

http://ronaldbrichardson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SnoopyDarkStormy.jpg

I see...heh

[Matti-patti]

Almost slightly off-topic, but I'll comment with a real life story which took place near my home couple of months ago;

It was dark night, and one of my neighbours was driving home, about 80km/h speed on a quiet countryside road. Then, before he could react he saw sudden movement and the car went *THUMP* - being one of the local hunters with a lot of experience in identifying wildlife the driver could tell that it was a lynx crossing the road, got hit by the car. The driver thought it must have been an instant kill, or then the lynx was left suffering in the ditch next to the road. So he went to investigate. At that point I happened to pass by, stopped to see what is going on, and joined the search. We could not find a single hint of the lynx - surprisingly enough, it seemed that it didn't get injured that bad, and was able to retreat into the dark woods. So the neighbour alarmed the local hunting group.

After an hour the hunters had spread around, combing the forest looking for tracks. Also, a skilled dog was sent to track the lynx. After a while the hunters heard the alarm bark of the dog - and the sound was moving, so apparently the lynx was on the move and the dog was chasing it. Before the hunters could reach the location of the sounds they noticed that the sounds weren't moving. So maybe the lynx had collapsed because of injuries? The dog kept on barking, the hunters kept on approaching, and then suddenly they met the dog, who was fleeing in panic. The hunters followed the tracks for a while and found a place where the paw prints on the snow told a clear story; the lynx had been fighting with the dog, and the dog chose to flee - which seems like the most reasonable decision; the dog only has teeth, but the sharp claws of the fierce feline certainly are something to be afraid of.

The morale of the story; lynx are not to be messed with. It is realistic to assume that if a dog goes 1:1 fight with a lynx, the likely outcome is the dog either fleeing or getting seriously injured.

(I think the contemporary hunting dogs are trained to chase a lynx, hoping the lynx climbs a tree and stays there, so that the dog can keep it on hold and bark until the human companions arrive to relieve the situation.)

I think it depends on dog breed, training and also heavily on the situation. Put a shepherd's dog in situation where he feels he must defend his pack (of sheep or whatever) and he'll go against predators much bigger and scarier than a lynx and is prepared to die defending his pack. At that point the wild animal will do a quick cost-effectiveness analysis and will probably figure it's not worth the effort.

[Ara D.]

Unless it's been updated. I don't think dogs aggro unless they or there master is attacked. Also I wonder about distance from lynx to dog and PC to dog. I'm on an older version but I've returned home to see my pen of dogs happy and content only to find little red Goldie njerp sleeping in my cabins bed. So I wonder if the way the alert bark is coded if it is less effective if your dog has been left to guard.