First they take away our cigarettes, well, at least the privilege of smoking them in bars and restaurants.

Then local governments decide to tackle trans fats, taking away our God-given right to clog our arteries with foods fried in unnatural cooking oils.

Now, it appears, not even your lynx is safe -- or any other "wild" animal you might be harboring in Baltimore County. Baltimore County officials, concerned about a Siberian lynx named Puddy that is part of the menagerie Dan Vitilio oversees at his Eagle's Nest ranch in Kingsville, will consider on Monday a bill that -- while aimed specifically at Vitilio -- requires all non-research organizations, including zoos, to have permits for their wild animals.

Vitilio has already failed to get a permit, sued about it and lost, in part because his ranch -- with more than 200 species -- is not officially a zoo. While he's requested recognition as a zoo, he has not heard back from the county. If the proposed bill passes, it won't matter if the ranch is a zoo or not, and the county will have the right to order him to get rid of Puddy.

Read the full Baltimore Sun story about Puddy, who tips the scales at 48 pounds here.

And, because we don't know when an opportunity to say this will come along again, here are five more lynx links:

Big Cat Rescue
San Diego Zoo
Feline Conservation Federation
Zooville
Defenders of Wildlife