A European wild cat was nearly extinct. Now, it is making a comeback

June 30, 2024 6:47 PM

A European wild cat was nearly extinct. Now, it is making a comeback. The Iberian lynx is no longer classified as endangered, with one group calling it the "greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation."

In 2002 there were only about 60 adult Iberian lynx in Portugal and Spain, and the species was labeled "critically endangered." After a lot of hard work, there are now more than 2000 young and adult Iberian lynx on the Iberian Peninsula.

posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (11 comments total)

Omg that cub 😻😻😻 go kitty!!!
posted by supermedusa at 6:49 PM on June 30 [2 favorites]

Well done Portugal and Spain! Go wild cats!
posted by Windopaene at 7:25 PM on June 30 [1 favorite]

After a fairly rough, recent news cycle this is absolutely delightful.
Thank you for posting this.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 8:44 PM on June 30 [1 favorite]

This is amazing - similar efforts in Poland only produced a population of about 200 lynxes on the same timescale, mostly because our forests are too scattered and monoculture.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:48 PM on June 30 [1 favorite]

in a statement that the efforts have resulted in the “greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation.”

This superlative is so specific and qualified as to mean effectively nothing.

Great news though, and great post!
posted by Dysk at 11:59 PM on June 30

well shit now i gotta run out and adopt one before WWF discontinues the stuffed animal
posted by Jacqueline at 12:40 AM on July 1

Hee! Murder muffin!
posted by prismatic7 at 2:17 AM on July 1

Once I was staying in a house in southern France, not far from the Pyrenees. One morning I got up early, made coffee, and as I drifted into the living room with my cup, I looked out the window was surprised to see a very large cat playing around in the garden, or so it seemed to me, until I realized it was hunting some small bird. At the same time I noticed the tufts of hair on the ears of the cat and it dawns on me that I’m looking at a lynx. It was a fairly magical experience.

Many years later I’m reading up on Iberian lynx conservation efforts, and I realize how incredibly unlikely it was that I saw a lynx in France, and I have doubted what I saw since, even though the memory is very clear. It’s made me more sympathetic to people who report seeing cryptids or paranormal phenomena, because while I know that what I saw was extremely improbable, the experience is so vivid in my mind.
posted by Kattullus at 2:44 AM on July 1 [3 favorites]

In celebration, I draw the attention of coin lovers to the very lovely Iberian lynx gold coin first issued by the Spanish mint a few years ago. Golden kitty!
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 3:58 AM on July 1

rabia.elizabeth, I might have trouble using that coin, I'd be so busy being hypnotized by it.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 4:25 AM on July 1

Portugal has a commemorative coin as well
posted by chavenet at 4:57 AM on July 1