Saved: Five animals that are no longer on the brink of extinction

The Iberian lynx is no longer endangered. The work carried out since the 1990s, when only 100 individuals of this species remained, has succeeded in increasing its population to over 2,000. It has not been removed from the list of threatened species, but is now classified as vulnerable, having been critically endangered at the turn of the century. This is great news, but above all, it is a clear demonstration that conservation policies work, that when resources and efforts are invested in protecting a species, life finds a way.

There are currently 48,600 species on the Red List of Threatened Species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This represents 28% of all the species that this organization has analyzed to date. But, as with the Iberian lynx, there are other success stories, animals that have recovered to a greater or lesser degree, such as the giant panda or the gorilla in Central Africa. Human behavior brought them to the brink of extinction, but human actions are also what have saved them. We can do it right.

Iberian lynx ((Lynx pardinus)

Key to recovery:

Captive breeding programs for release and habitat restoration policies.

Features:

• 85-110 cm long and 46 cm high. Up to 16 kg (male) and 10 kg (female)
• Habitat: Mediterranean mountain, between 400 and 1,300 meters high
• Current distribution: 17 breeding geographical areas in the Peninsula: Andalusia (Sierra Morena, Doñana), Castilla-La Mancha (Toledo mountains), Extremadura (Sierra de San Pedro), Castilla y León, Madrid, Aragon and a nucleus in southern Portugal.
• Diet: Carnivorous, eats almost exclusively rabbits, but also geese, birds and small deer.
• Reproduction: 70 days of gestation and between 1 and 4 puppies per birth (usually 2)

Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx)

Key to recovery:

Breeding and release programs, along with a ban on poaching and the establishment of protected areas.

Features:

• 100-105 cm tall. 65-75kg.
• Habitat: Arid steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.
• Distribution: Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Israel, and to a lesser extent in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and Kuwait.
• Diet: Herbs, roots, tubers and some fruits; it can live for months without drinking a drop of water
• Reproduction: Gestation of 9 months and parts of a single offspring.

Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Key to recovery:

International cooperation to curb poaching and protection efforts on the ground

Features:

• 1.5 – 1.8 meters tall and 2.25 m wingspan. Up to 227 kg.
• Habitat: Cloud forests
• Current distribution: In two main populations in Central Africa, the Virunga Massif and Bwindi National Park. Areas belonging to Uganda, DRC and Rwanda.
• Diet: Primarily herbivorous, although it also eats larvae, ants, and screws.
• Reproduction: Gestation of eight and a half months and parts of a single offspring.

Giant panda bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Key to recovery:

In 1988, China banned the hunting of pandas. Strict protection laws and captive breeding programs are in place.

Features:

• 150 cm long, can reach 150 kg
• Habitat: Temperate mountain forests in south-central China
• Distribution: Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu. 67 nature reserves and the Giant Panda National Park. 2,657 breeding centers worldwide.
• Diet: Bamboo, other plants, and small rodents.
• Reproduction: gestation of between 97 and 163 days, usually a single offspring per birth and one birth every two years.

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Key to recovery:

Moratorium on whaling in 1982 and conservation policies.

Features:

• 11.9-13.9 meters (up to 15.5 meters maximum for females and up to 14 meters for males). 30-40 tons (maximum 53 tons).
• Habitat: Temperate and Arctic oceans.
• Distribution: Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
• Diet: Krill (small shrimp-like crustaceans) and schools of small fish such as anchovies, cod, and other pelagic fish.
• Reproduction: Gestation lasts 10 to 12 months, with one offspring per birth.