The Iberlince project confirms the first breeding of a female Iberian lynx born in the wild in the Extremadura area

This female, identified as 'Mene', initiated her motherhood with a litter of five

Last April, the first breeding of a female lynx born in the wild in the Extremadura reintroduction area was confirmed. This is "Mene", born in 2015, and daughter of "Kodiak" (who, in turn, was the first lynx reintroduced in Extremadura in 2014). At first there seemed to be 4 cubs, but thanks to thorough monitoring (through a tracking collar and camera traps), it was possible to confirm a 5th cub. Although there have been a few other such cases, this is quite a rare number – the normal being 2-3, or 4 cubs at the most.

In the case of the Iberian lynx, as with other species, the productivity parameter reflects breeding effectiveness and is closely linked to the population’s overall dynamics. In this context, productivity is defined by the number of cubs that complete a year (or are dispersed or even reproduce) / total number of breeding females. This may depend on food availability, natural and unnatural mortality, and interactions.

We expect a very high "survival rate" for "Mene"’s cubs; i.e., a high number of cubs that reach dispersion in relation to the number of offspring born. The survival rate of cubs shows the breeding females’ capacity, and depends mainly on food availability, but also on interactions between siblings and males, as well as other variables.

So far, this year In Extremadura, 5 breeding females were registered ("Mene" being the first detected), which would meet the Life Iberlince Project’s goals pertaining to reintroduction areas.