Two of Portugal’s rare Iberian lynxes will be at home, at least through the end of the year, in a specially built facility in Porto, at the Gaia Biological Park.
There are believed to be only 261 of the native felines in Portugal, with another 1407 in Spain, according to recent counts. With numbers so low, although starting to recover, few people will have a chance to see one except in captivity.
After construction finishes in October on their €377,000 habitat, they will move from the Algarve in Portugal’s south to the northern district of Porto. Their home will be in an area that also includes other animals that co-exist with them in their natural habitat, including wild boar and roe deer, as will as plant species important to them.
Visitors will be able to observe the animals through glass, following a pathway through an area with both shade and sunlight. The whole structure is planned to avoid “the least possible backlight effect” and with the most opportunity for the cates to be seen, but to not see visitors.
