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.
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.