Iberian lynx returns slowly

Navarro, a male bobcat with leopard-like spots, barks when he walks toward a camera trap during mating season.

At less than 100 centimeters (39 inches) long and less than 45 centimeters tall, the Iberian lynx is a rare sight. But there are now over 2,000 animals in the wild in Spain and Portugal, so you're much more likely to see one than you were 20 years ago.

“The Iberian lynx is very, very close to extinction,” said Rodrigo Serra, who leads the breeding program in Spain and Portugal.

At its lowest point, fewer than 100 lynxes remained in the two non-interacting populations, of which only 25 were females of reproductive age.

“The only other cat species threatened to this extent was the saber-toothed cat from thousands of years ago.”

The decline in bobcat numbers has been attributed in part to more land being used for agriculture, increased road deaths and competition for food.

Rabbits are an important prey for lynx, and two epidemics caused a 95% decline in their numbers.

By 2005, there were no lynxes left in Portugal, but that year Spain saw its first captive lynx.

It took Portugal another three years before it decided to develop a national conservation action plan to save the species. The National Iberian Lynx Breeding Center was established in Silves, Algarve.

Here they are monitored 24 hours a day. The purpose is twofold – to prepare them for life in the wild and to pair them up for breeding.

Serra speaks quietly because even within a 200m distance it can be stressful for the animals in the 16 pens where most of the animals are kept.

But sometimes, pressure is just what the Bobcats need.

“When we see a litter of pups becoming more confident, we go in and chase them and make noise so they get scared again and climb the fence,” Serra said. “We're training them not to approach those in the wild. people.”

This is partly to protect themselves, but also to keep them away from humans and animals. “Bobcats should be bobcats and not be treated like house cats.”

As a result, bobcats never associate food with humans, and they eat through a system of tunnels in the center.

Then, when the time comes, they are released into the wild.

Genetics determine their final destination to reduce the risk of inbreeding or disease. Even if the lynx was born in Portugal, it may have been brought to Spain.

Pedro Sarmento is responsible for the reintroduction of lynxes in Portugal and has conducted research on the Iberian lynx for 30 years.

“As a biologist, two things struck me when I worked with bobcats. The animal's head is quite small relative to its body, and its claws are very wide. This gives them a rare Impulse and jumping ability.”

The breeding program and the bobcat's return have been hailed as a huge success, but as their numbers climb, problems can arise.

Because lynx are often released on private land in Portugal, organizers of breeding programs must first reach an agreement with the owners.

It's up to the animals where they go, and while there have been some attacks on the chicken coop, Sarmento said there haven't been many.

“This may cause locals to feel uneasy. We have been fortifying chicken coops so bobcats cannot gain access to them and in some cases we continue to monitor bobcats and scare them away if needed.”

He tells the story of Lítio, one of the first lynxes released in Portugal.

Litio remained in the same area for six months, but then the team lost track of him.

He ended up in Doñana, his hometown and a national park in southern Spain.

As Litio fell ill, he received medical treatment and then returned to the breeding team in the Algarve.

A few days after his release from the center, he began returning to Doñana, swimming across the Guadiana River to Spain.

He disappeared for a time but was eventually brought back to the Algarve.

When he was released for the third time, rather than risking his return to Spain, Litio walked 3 kilometers (two miles), found a female, and never moved again.

“He's the oldest bobcat we have here and he's had a lot of pups since then,” Sarmento said.

Thirty years after Spain decided to save the lynx, the species is no longer endangered and Sarmento hopes it will reach favorable conservation status by 2035.

To achieve this, the wild population needs to reach 5,000-6,000.

“I see this species disappear. We catch bobcats in nature or on camera almost every day, and it's just surreal,” Sarmento said.

Replication teams are not complacent and their work is risky. Last year, 80 percent of bobcat deaths occurred on roadways.

However, they are now confident that the Iberian lynx has been rescued.