Deceased male Iberian lynx specimen found in western Sierra Morena

On September 4th, personnel from a farm located in the Brazatortas municipality, in the Ciudad Real province, notified the regional administration about the discovery of an Iberian lynx corpse.

Environmental agents of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha proceeded to remove the body and subsequently transferring it to the 'El Chaparrillo' Wildlife Recovery Center in Ciudad Real. The remains, which were in an advanced state of decomposition, match a male specimen released in 2017 in the eastern Sierra Morena reintroduction area.

Preliminary necropsy results discard the presence of projectiles or recent fractures that could explain his death. The hypothesis put forward by the monitoring staff is that it could have resulted from a fight with another animal, since the body was in another male’s territory.

Considering the specimen’s available tracking information, it is not plausible that it suffered from any chronic disease, although it cannot be ruled out that an acute type of infectious process could have compromised its survival. The case is pending toxicological and microbiological analysis results.