Iberian Lynx: Population Has Nearly Doubled

In the past year, more than 2’000 individuals were counted across the entire peninsula, as the Spanish government announced.

The Iberian lynx, known for its pointed ears, long legs and leopard-like coat, was on the brink of extinction until just under 20 years ago.

Record Numbers Thanks to Breeding Programme

In total, 722 lynxes were born in 2023, bringing their number on the Iberian Peninsula to 2’021 — a record since the species has been monitored — compared to just 1’111 three years earlier, the Spanish Ministry of the Environment stated in a press release.

This increase has been “continuous since 2015 and gives us reason to be optimistic that the risk of extinction of the Iberian lynx is declining,” it added.

Poaching and Habitat Loss as Primary Causes

The Iberian lynx, known for its pointed ears, long legs and leopard-like, spotted coat, was on the brink of extinction just 20 years ago, having fallen victim to poaching, road accidents and urban encroachment into its natural habitat as well as the decline of wild rabbits, the lynx’s primary prey.

When the first census of the big cat began in 2002, there were fewer than 100 individuals on the Iberian Peninsula.

The Ministry attributed the increase in lynx numbers to the success of a captive breeding and reintroduction programme launched in 2011, describing it as “one of the best examples of conservation measures for endangered species in the world.”

Since then, 372 lynxes born in captivity have been released into the wild.

Threat Level Downgraded

The Iberian lynx population continued to grow from 2015 onwards, when the International Union for Conservation of Nature downgraded its threat level from “critically endangered” — the highest category before extinction in the wild — to “endangered.”

Most Iberian lynxes live in the Doñana National Park and in the mountains of the Sierra Morena in the southwestern region of Andalusia. As part of the conservation program however, captive-bred animals have also been reintroduced in the Spanish regions of Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura and Murcia, as well as in Portugal.

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