A ‘seriously ill’ Iberian Lynx, captured in Spain four months ago, has been released in the Vale de Guadiana in the Mértola region after being nursed back to health in Spain.
Lítio the lynx grew up in the El Acebuche bredding centre in Spain’s Doñana national park and first was released in Mértola in May 2015.
In March this year the intrepid lynx had made it back to the Doñana area and was captured in May as he was seen to be seriously ill and malnourished.
The Institute for Nature Conservation reported that Lítio was transferred to a recovery center in the province of Huelva where he spent the last four months, gaining 5 kilos, before being taken back to Portugal for release.
In the same area on Mertola there are known to be two males and three females, so it is expected that the presence of other lynx will encourage Lítio to hang loose and maybe get pregnant in the next breeding season.
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered cat in the world, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The lynx once was abundant in Mediterranean area's forests and scrubland, but the reduction of their preferred environment and the sharp decline of wild rabbit numbers led the species to the brink of extinction.
Of the 100,000 which lived in the Iberian Peninsula in the early twentieth century, it is estimated that there are only 200 left.
The Iberian lynx conservation project between Portugal and Spain is especially important to maintain the balance of the ecosystem, as if the lynx died out, this would cause the proliferation of other predators such as foxes.
In addition to the Vale del Guadiana, other areas of the Iberian Peninsula where lynx have been released are the Valle de Matachel in Extremadura, the regions of Guadalemellato and Guarrizas in Andalusia, the Montes de Toledo and the Sierra Morena Oriental in Castilla-La Mancha.
