Why is the iberian lynx endangered
How this Wild Cat is Coming Back from Extinction
these rangers in southern spain
just trapped one of the world's rarest
cats
there are only a couple of hundred of
them left in the wild
and this one will be a vital key to
their survival
this is the sierra morena in northern
andalusia a mountain range that forms a
clustered system of natural parks
stretching over 450 kilometers across
the peninsula
its landscape is unique on our planet
the mediterranean de essa is
characterized by vegetation and wildlife
adapted to an extreme climate with long
dry summers
but which magically blossoms during the
short spring season
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it's home to an incredible biodiversity
with large herds of red deer
iberian ibex
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eagle owls
and griffin vultures
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but the most distinctive yet rare
inhabitant of the spanish de essa
is the iberian lynx this lynx
is one third smaller than the european
links
separated by the glaciers in the
pyrenees that formed during the ice ages
link species adapted to different
climates with the iberian peninsula
offering an abundance of much smaller
prey
so instead of red deer the iberian lynx
mainly has rabbits on its menu
rabbits used to be plentiful all over
the peninsula
in fact the name spain comes from the
word hispania
meaning rabbit land
but in the mid 20th century a viral
disease from south america was
introduced to europe
and spread rapidly across the country
cutting rabbit numbers drastically
diseases are still one of the major
impediments to the recovery of iberia's
rabbit population
leaving the lynx in trouble
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is an extremely vulnerable species it's
one of those rare cases in nature which
depend on a
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the alarming fact is that in rabbit land
today
there aren't enough rabbits to support
even a small population of predators
and it's not just the iberian lynx
that's in trouble it's the entire
iberian biosphere
this is why artificial rabbit burrows
have been constructed throughout the
sierra morena
they're stocked and restocked with tens
of thousands of wild rabbits
all these rabbits have to be trapped on
a few ranches where there's a sufficient
number of wild rabbits
because domestic ones wouldn't survive
in the wild
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but what happened to the captured lynx
and why would rangers take it out of the
wild
the iberian linx xc2 breeding program is
one of four breeding stations in spain
it can hold about 50 individuals each
one living in quarantine
it was founded at a point where numbers
and hopes for the species were
critically low
with only about 100 individuals
restricted to two small pockets
in southern spain the breeding program
was initially an emergency strategy
driven by uncertainty but it's become a
cornerstone of the lynx's survival
here the cats are monitored 24 7.
in order to avoid learning to trust us
their contact with humans is restricted
to an absolute minimum
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scenarios as you would find them in the
wild are recreated to teach them to hunt
their own prey
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wild links are also brought here for
medical and genetic inspections
which are important for constant data
updates on the health of wild
populations
but most importantly they play a key
role in supporting the breeding program
by promoting genetic exchange between
the small and isolated populations
and avoiding inbreeding in captivity
separated from humans
lynx mothers can prepare their offspring
teaching them how to hunt and survive in
the wild
these two young ones still have a lot to
learn before they're ready
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but when they are it's time for them to
leave the breeding station for good
to live in their natural habitat
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as the links have been progressively
released into the wild
the population has been able to recover
from just two isolated pockets at the
turn of the millennium
to the creation of six further pockets
today
but there's still a major issue to
overcome
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intense land use and massive farms have
led to the loss of their preferred
habitat
the mediterranean shrubland of the de
esa has been turned into giant
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monocultures
additionally it's hard for the species
to spread as their potential habitat is
largely fragmented by the spanish and
portuguese road networks
roadkills are responsible for more than
half of lynx fatalities today
and the chief cause of non-natural
deaths is proving difficult to resolve
as roads cross the animals territories
however there are solutions out there
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wildlife surpasses and underpasses are
being developed
but the number of these still has to be
increased drastically for the iberian
lynx to be able to move freely
around its habitat
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still all things considered the
conservation of the iberian links is a
success story
growing numbers in more and more areas
give hope that spain's iconic wildcat
will one day be able to thrive without
the help of humans
hi there i'm philip video producer here
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