A Lifeline for the Iberian Lynx
Not since the time of the sabertooth has a feline species gone extinct. Earth’s most endangered cat could be next.
By Jennifer Holland
Photograph by Pete Oxford and Reneé Bish
Its golden eyes have shone across Mediterranean lands for a million years. But the 25-pound Iberian lynx, icon of Spain and Portugal, is on shaky turf. Its wild count is about 225 animals, up from 100 a decade ago but far too low for long-term survival. Hunting, road kills, and habitat loss have sped the plunge of Lynx pardinus, as has near-total dietary reliance on rabbits— themselves overhunted and slammed by disease. Only two breeding populations remain, based in protected areas in Spain. With pledges of $35 million for conservation, the Lynx Life group is boosting rabbit numbers, moving cats to underused haunts, and safeguarding prey-friendly habitat. In the near future, it hopes to release captive-bred lynx into the wild.
For now, says Lynx Life director Miguel Angel Simón, improving life for wild lynx on wild land is the best strategy.
Source: National Geopgraphic
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