The feline famous for its shiny eyes and majestic appearance was on the brink of extinction. Ten years back this feline count was only near to 100. If you ask why, the answer is simple “us.” Well, technically due to human interference. This amazing relative of our pet feline has had a long journey from being nearly extinct to a striking comeback. Let me tell you more about the whole story, including how profoundly their species were harmed and the two very different sides of mankind, one who became the cause of their extinction and the other who became the cause of their remarkable new beginning.
@19mahima
This guarded feline, native to the Iberian Peninsula, faced several dangers such as habitat degradation, fragmentation, and hunting. The threats include an alarming decline in rabbits, the lynx's primary prey; a significant loss of habitat; getting trapped in rabbit snares; accidental deaths caused by fast automobiles on the increasing road network; and illegal hunting.
Between 1985 and 2001, the population of birds shrank by 87%, and the number of breeding females fell by more than 90%. By 2000, there were just two tiny populations: 70-80 cats in southern Andalusia and 170-180 in the Sierra Morena(“Iberian Lynx,” 2012). This triggered a warning sign and the local government and community started working to protect their favourite feline.
One such example is the La Olivilla lynx breeding centre in Santa Elena, which is changing the animal's fate by sheltering 32 lynxes, a sizable proportion of the entire population. Over 100 cameras track each cat's behaviour, allowing officials to examine their movements throughout mating season. This high-tech surveillance is critical to the Lynx Life initiative, which has increased the lynx population to over 300 through reintroduction. Zoologists are even proposing reclassifying Lynx pardinus from "critically endangered" to "endangered" under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines. However, this success cost more than expected. Between 2002 and 2018, the initiative received €69 million (£49 million; $76 million), primarily from the European Union. The funds were utilised to assist three breeding centres in Spain and Portugal. The initiative also attempts to reduce poaching and boost rabbit numbers, which are the lynx's favourite meal. The group has also created subterranean tunnels to allow animals to traverse busy roadways (“Iberian lynx returns to Spain from verge of extinction,” 2015).
Addressing dangers like predation and illness has been an important part of the conservation effort. Predators like foxes and wild dogs have been managed, and vaccinations have been produced to protect lynx against illnesses such as feline leukaemia virus (“Long-term surveillance of the feline leukemia virus in the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Andalusia, Spain (2008–2021) | Scientific Reports,” n.d.). Local communities have participated in education and awareness campaigns, and compensation plans have been implemented to reduce losses (“Iberian lynx rebounding thanks to conservation action - IUCN Red List - Press release | IUCN,” n.d.).
Apart from conservation, genetic management and efforts to stop road kills government policy changes also need to contribute to reducing poaching. Though Iberian lynx were legally protected against hunting from the early 1970s, they are still the victims of guns, traps and snares, particularly those set for other animals. The Spanish government has proposed 72 Natura2000 areas to safeguard lynx habitat, totaling over 2,750,000 hectares. But the plan doesn’t include notable places to conserve Lynx. The construction of 12 dams, including La Brena II and Monteagudo, might have had a substantial impact on the remaining Natural regions (“Save the Iberian lynx,” n.d.).
Climate change is going to increase future trouble. Through continuous monitoring and study have offered vital insights into the lynx's ecology and behaviour, informing conservation policies and successful population management, the Iberian Lynx is still extremely endangered, and further conservation efforts are necessary for its long-term survival. The current population of lynx brings hope but for how long is another question.
In the end, I want to quote Professor Sarah Durant, Professor at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology said in an interview too “The significant recovery of the Iberian lynx demonstrates that even the most threatened species can be brought back from the brink of extinction through committed, science-based conservation action and provides hope for those working to protect wildlife across the globe (“Iberian lynx rebounding thanks to conservation action - IUCN Red List - Press release | IUCN,” n.d.)." We should not lose hope and put our all efforts into bringing back the true beauty of the ecosystem of our animals. Where our feline companions have fought a long battle it's our responsibility to maintain the current number and protect them from danger.
References
Iberian Lynx, 2012. . Int. Soc. Endanger. Cats ISEC Can. URL https://wildcatconservation.org/wild-cats/eurasia/iberian-lynx/ (accessed 9.9.24).
Iberian lynx rebounding thanks to conservation action - IUCN Red List - Press release | IUCN [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://iucn.org/press-release/202406/iberian-lynx-rebounding-thanks-conservation-action-iucn-red-list (accessed 9.9.24).