The Iberian lynx release season concludes at Vale do Guadiana

Since the first pair was reintroduced in this territory, in 2015, 16 specimens have been born in the wild

The LIFE Iberlince project 'Recovery of the historical distribution in Spain and Portugal' (2011-2018), through the ICNF, has concluded the release season in the Vale do Guadiana reintroduction area (Portugal) with a total of six releases into the wild, intended to enhance genetic variability in future wild populations.

Along with these six specimens, from the La Olivilla (Jaén) captive breeding centres, the Granadilla breeding centre (Cáceres), and the Silves centre (Portugal), the number of released specimens since February 2015 amounts to 33 in this area, one of the six reintroduction areas contemplated in the Iberlince project.

The first Iberian lynx reintroduction in Vale do Guadiana took place in February 2015 - with the release of the pair 'Jacarandá' and 'Kathmandú' – and, since then, the species’ evolution in the area has been very positive. Not only with regard to specimen reintroduction but also to reproduction in the wild. In this sense, it is worth noting that, over the course of these three years, a total of 16 lynxes were born in Vale do Guadiana.

To this, we must two lynxes that dispersed from the Doñana area (Huelva) to the Vale do Guadiana, thus establishing that the connection between Iberian lynx specimens in both territories is possible.

The success of lynx reintroduction in the region is closely linked to the high abundance of the wild rabbit populations, carefully evaluated in seasonal censuses coordinated by the ICNF, and in which several entities participate, such as the Iberlinx Association and the Nature Protection League. It has also been essential to count on the collaboration of estate owners and game reserves with which collaboration agreements have been established.