IBERIAN LYNX, MAKING A RISKY COMEBACK

In a news piece by Portuguese newspaper SOL, Pedro Esteves comments about the impact that the availability of wild rabbit populations (Oryctolagus cuniculus) may have on the success of the recent release of two Iberian lynxes (Lynx pardinus) in Natural Park of Vale do Guadiana (Mértola, Portugal).

The Iberian lynx is currently the world's most threatened species of cat and the decline of its main prey, the wild rabbit, along with habitat loss and mortality caused by car collisions, are considered to be the main threats to its conservation.

For the next month and a half, the two lynxes will remain in a 2ha fenced area with high prey availability and under tight monitoring. Only after this initial period will Jacarandá and Katmandu be released into the wild. In the next months, eight more lynxes are expected to be released, but for now, and even though recent data on the effects of the new strain of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus reveal promising results, researchers and environmentalists prefer to be cautious when it comes to predicting the success of the reintroduction.

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Linces: Um regresso com riscos | SOL | Dec 21, 2014 (in Portuguese)