A second litter of lynx has been located in the Guadiana valley area as the project to reintroduce the threatened species to Portugal and Spain reaches stage two.
The lynx kittens have been spotted and recorded by animal experts at the Institute for Conservation of Nature and Forestry (ICNF).
Lagunilla, a two-year-old female Iberian lynx, was released from the Zarza da Granadilla Lynx Centre in Spain in May 2015. She was freed at the Herdade das Romeiras in the Mértola region of the Alentejo.
The lynx has become a first time mother of two kittens which now are estimated to be two months old. The team sent to photograph the family spotted what may be a third kitten.
"The territory of Lagunilla has a very high wild rabbit population, an important factor for the stabilisation of lynx females. There also are many olive trees that can be used as dens and where the young remain during the breastfeeding period," according to the ICNF experts.
This new litter comes a week after the confirmation of the ‘first litter for decades’ from mother Jacaranda who gave birth possibly only to one kitten.
"These two events are one of the most important milestones in the long history of the conservation of the Iberian lynx in Portugal which started over 30 years ago with a campaign from the Liga de Proteção da Natureza (League for the Protection of Nature)
“Let's save the lynx and the Serra da Malcata,” concludes the ICNF statement as it claims: "the existence of breeding females is the most significant indicator of the health of a population and a fact that underpins the potential success of the reintroduction process that has started."
For a report on the first lynx to be born in Portugal for decades, see:
http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news/8732-lynx-have-bred-in-portugal-the-first-time-in-many-decades
