The Iberian lynx, native to both Spain and Portugal, has been moved from the ‘endangered’ category to ‘vulnerable’ as it continues its remarkable comeback in the wild with a little help from humans.
Once feared to be extinct and originally listed as ‘critically endangered’ when a 2021 survey found only 62 adults in Spain, the predatory feline now numbers 2,021 adults in last year’s count. That led to this week’s action by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The recovery has been helped along by bans on hunting and poaching, and measures to prevent road collisions, the major non-natural cause of death for the lynxes. Efforts have also helped increase the supply of European rabbits, preferred prey for the lynx.
The World Wildlife Federation is working on plans to reintroduce the lynx to two more areas, one in Castile-La Mancha and the other in Andalusia.
