Iberian Lynx Slinks Back From Brink of Extinction Within Just Two Decades of Conservation

[Michie]

credit – LIFE project NAT E 008609, Lynx pardinus, European Environment Agency


The greatest feline conservation success story isn’t the doubling of the world tiger population, nor the rescues of the Amur tiger and Northern lion from falling into the abyss of biological history—it’s the comeback of a lynx species on the Iberian Peninsula.

This scrawny, mottled cat with characteristic pointed ears and tufts of fur all over its face and feet has grown from 62 individuals counted in a 2002 survey to around 2,000 in the latest estimates.

For a beast that ranges across the rarely wild countries of Spain and Portugal, it’s a remarkable achievement that has come from the work of many individuals.

Continued below.

Iberian Lynx Slinks Back From Brink of Extinction Within Just Two Decades of Conservation

For a beast that ranges across the rarely wild countries of Spain and Portugal, it's a remarkable achievement to reach 2,000 animals.

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[PloverWing]

What wonderful news! Thanks for sharing it. I'm a cat-lover, and I think the Iberian lynx is one of the most beautiful of all the felines (love those ear-tufts!). I've been fearing they'd soon be extinct. It's great to hear that they're still going to be with us.