The slow return of the Iberian lynx

Navarro – a male lynx – with his leopard-like spots, screams during mating season as he walks towards a photo trap.

The Iberian lynx is less than 100 cm (39 in) long and 45 cm tall and is a rare sight. But there are now more than 2,000 of them in the wild across Spain and Portugal, so you’re much more likely to see them than 20 years ago.

“The Iberian lynx was very, very close to extinction,” says Rodrigo Serra, who manages the breeding program in Spain and Portugal.

At its lowest point, there were less than 100 lynx left in the two non-interacting populations, and only 25 of these were reproductive-age females.

“The only feline species that was threatened at this level was the saber-toothed tiger thousands of years ago.”

The decline in the lynx population was partly due to more and more land being used for agriculture, increasing road deaths and the struggle for food.

Wild rabbits are important prey for the lynx, and two pandemics have caused their numbers to drop by 95%.

In 2005, there were no lynx left in Portugal, but this year Spain had its first litter born in captivity.

It took another three years before Portugal decided to adopt a national action plan for the conservation of the species. The National Iberian Lynx Breeding Center was built in Silves in the Algarve.

Here they are watched 24 hours a day. The goal is twofold – to prepare them for life in the wild and to mate them for breeding.

Sulfur speaks in a whisper, because even from a distance of 200 meters you can cause stress in the animals in the 16 pens where most of the animals are kept.

Sometimes, however, stress is just what lynxes need.

“When we notice that the litter is getting a little more confident, we go in and chase them and make noise to get them scared again and climbing the fences,” Serra says. “We train them not to approach humans in the wild.”

This is partly for their own protection, but also to keep them away from humans and their animals. “A lynx should be a lynx, not be treated like a house cat.”

Therefore, lynxes never associate food with humans, they feed through a system of tunnels in the center.

Then, when the time comes, they are released.

Genetics determine where they end up to reduce the risk of inbreeding or disease. Even if the lynx was born in Portugal, it could be taken to Spain.

Pedro Sarmento is responsible for the reintroduction of the lynx in Portugal and has been studying the Iberian lynx for 30 years.

“As a biologist, when I hold a lynx, two things strike me. It’s an animal with a fairly small head compared to its body, and unusually wide paws. This gives them a momentum and jumping ability that is rare.”

The breeding program and the return of the lynx have been hailed as great successes, but as their numbers grow, so can problems.

Since lynx are often released on private land in Portugal, reintroduction program organizers must first negotiate with the owners.

Where the animals go after that is up to them, and while there have been some attacks on chicken coops, Sarmento says they have been few and far between.

“This can cause anxiety among local residents. We fortify the coops so the lynx can’t get to them, and in some cases we continue to monitor the lynx and scare them away if necessary.”

It tells the story of Litio, one of the first lynx released in Portugal.

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

He eventually made it to Doñana, a national park in southern Spain where he hails from.

Because Lithio was sick, he was treated and then returned to the breeding team in the Algarve.

A few days after his release from the center, he began his return to Doñana, having crossed the Guadiana River to reach Spain.

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

When he was released the third time, Litio did not risk returning to Spain, but instead walked 3 km (two miles), found a female, and did not move again.

“He’s the oldest lynx we have here, and he’s had a lot of cubs since then,” says Sarmento.

Three decades after Spain decided to save the lynx, the species is no longer endangered, and Sarmento hopes to achieve a favorable conservation status by 2035.

For this to happen, the number must reach 5,000-6,000 in the wild.

“I have seen this species disappear. It’s surreal that we’re in a place where we can see lynx almost daily in the wild or with a camera trap,” says Sarmento.

The reproduction team is restless, and there are risks involved in their work. Last year, 80% of lynx deaths occurred on roads.

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