National Geographic - UK (2022-06)

IBERIAN

PENINSULA

P Y R E N E E

S

Sierra^ M

ore

na

Sierra

Nevada

CCaannttaabbrriiaann^ MMttss..

GIBRALTAR (U.K.)

Ba

le

ar

ic

Se

a

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

Bay of Biscay

Mediterranean

Sea

SIERRA DE ANDÚJARNATURAL PARK

DOÑANA

NATIONAL PARK

MadridMMadridadrid

CórdobaCórdobCórdobaa

Toledo

Huelva Sevilla Granada

Lisbon

BarcelonaBBarcelonaarcelona

Murcia

Porto

Number

of lynx

observed

in 2020

ANDALUSIA

506

EXTREMADURA

141

CASTILE-

LA MANCHA

327

PORTUGAL

140

SPAIN

FRANCE

ANDORRA

P

O

R

T

U

G

A

L

50 km

50 mi

2002 2019–2020

Range of Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)

Urban

area

Reintroduction

site

1960

EU

ROPE

AFRICA

MAP

AREA

Senior editor Christine Dell’Amore wrote about

underappreciated endangered species in the May

2021 issue. Award-winning Spanish photographer

Sergio Marijuán has been fascinated by lynx since

meeting a captive-bred pair in Andalusia in 2017.

REBOUNDING LYNX

Endemic to Spain and Portugal, the Iberian
lynx was nearly extinct 20 years ago because of
overhunting, habi tat fragmentation, and rampant
disease in its favored prey, the European rabbit.
New lynx populations remain isolated, but conser-
vation and reintroduction efforts have increased
lynx numbers tenfold, to more than 1,100.

vehicle strikes by installing highway under-
passes for wildlife, road warning signs, and
speed bumps in areas where lynx often are
killed. The cats quickly figure out how to use
the underpasses—another example of their
adaptability—and data show these interven-
tions have reduced deaths, according to García
Tardío. But as lynx expand their territories and
grow in number, roadkills likely will become a
bigger problem, she says.
There’s also always the fear that another rab-
bit virus will emerge, Salcedo says—one more
reason it’s important to have a widespread,
interconnected population of animals. For now,
however, the cats’ scattered and isolated groups
remain the biggest threat to the species’ recovery.

THE IBERIAN LYNX is one of 33 small-cat species,
many of which are endangered or threatened.
These animals have long been eclipsed by their
bigger, more famous cousins such as lions and
tigers, but lately people have begun to recog-
nize the world’s little-known undercats, says

Jim Sanderson, program manager for small-cat

conservation at Re:wild and a member of the

IUCN Cat Specialist Group, which helped sup-

port and advise the Iberian lynx’s rescue efforts.

Sanderson says that 2020 was the “best year

ever for small-cat conservation. It was like we

reached a tipping point, and all the sudden

financial partners stepped up.”

The U.S.-based nonprofit Panthera runs a

small-cats program, for example, and the num-

ber of informal working groups dedicated to

saving little cats worldwide has jumped from

two to 12, Sanderson says.

The Iberian lynx, he adds, should be the inspi-

ration for them all.

“If we did nothing else,” Sanderson says, sav-

ing the lynx “would stand out as the highlight

in my mind.” j

CHRISTINE FELLENZ, NGM STAFF. SOURCES: CENSO DE LINCE IBÉRICO;
LIFE+IBERLINCE PROJECT; LIFE LYNXCONNECT/JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA THE COMEBACK CATS 107