The Iberian lynx, which only looks like a potential household pet, has continued its recovery from near-extinction, according to a new census from the Iberian Institute for Conservation of Nature and Forests, with 1,325 counted.
Numbers declined sharply starting in the 1950s, partly from hunting and partly from growing habitat loss as cities grew; that meant less range for the lynxes and for the wild rabbits that are their main diet staple. By 2004, there were believed to be no more than 100 left.
Conservation efforts reversed the trend, and by 2020, the population crossed the 1,000 mark for the first time in recent years. The latest census found 209 in Portugal and 1,156 in Spain. There are 13 active breeding colonies, one in Portugal and the rest in Spain.
