They observe an Iberian lynx that has traveled from Seville to Catalonia.
In 2024, a record high of 'Lynx pardinus' was recorded on the Peninsula, with 2,401 individuals located.
BarcelonaThe cameras that the Rural Agents have spread throughout Catalonia have allowed them to detect a situation that until now was unusual: an Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in the wild in Catalonia. The discovery comes a year after the lynx was moved from endangered to vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
According to the The Newspaper As confirmed by the ARA, it is a specimen named Secret, an adult male born four years ago at the Silves captive breeding center in Portugal. He was later released on a farm near Seville and a few weeks ago was seen in western Catalonia. However, it is currently unknown whether Secreto remains in Catalonia or has moved to another territory. The sighting is noteworthy, since most lynx specimens live in southern Spain.
The animal was detected in an area of the Pre-Pyrenees in the province of Lleida by a Rural Agents photo trap, thus confirming the presence of the species in Catalonia for the second time in recent years. The image is from March, but it was not collected until a few weeks ago. This is an adult specimen that arrived in Catalonia naturally from northern Andalusia, as did the first documented lynx, in Litio. The latter was recorded in Catalonia in 2018 in an orchard in Santa Coloma de Cervelló (Baix Llobregat).
After two decades of efforts to reintroduce the Iberian lynx to the Peninsula, the latest census by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has put the total number of specimens located in 202 at 2,401. This new record represents a 19% increase compared to the previous year. Of these 2,401 individuals, 2,047 (85.3% of the total) are found in Spain, while the remaining 354 (14.7%) are established in Portugal. In fact, the autonomous communities with stable lynx populations are Castilla-La Mancha (942 individuals, 46% of Spain's total), Andalusia (836, 40.8%), Extremadura (254, 12.4%), and Murcia (15, 0.73%).
Why has the lynx arrived in Catalonia?
Antón Álvarez, a technician with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) species program in Spain, explains to ARA that "lynxes are great travelers, and when they reach a certain age, they need to travel many kilometers," which could explain why this specimen has reached Catalonia. These journeys are known as "dispersive movements" and are not exclusive to lynxes. Álvarez adds that the species moves through areas with vegetation, shelter, and especially rabbits, which represent 97% of its diet.
The WWF technician emphasizes that, historically, the Iberian lynx had occupied the entire Iberian Peninsula, including the northernmost territories. Now, for this species to achieve favorable conservation status and cease to be considered an endangered animal, Álvarez believes that Catalonia could be a key territory as an "optimal reintroduction space."
Along these lines, MITECO assures that "in the coming years, it is planned to expand the extent of the species' presence by approving new areas and beginning reintroduction work, both in new autonomous communities and in new areas of Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha," where most lynx live.