With a body length of less than 100 cm and a height of 45 cm, the Iberian lynx is a rare sight. At its lowest point, the two populations that did not interact in Spain and Portugal had fewer than 100 individuals remaining, and only 25 of these were females of reproductive age. As a result, the species was on the verge of extinction, writes BBC.

According to the head of the reproduction program in Spain and Portugal, Rodrigo Serra, 20 years ago the Iberian lynx was in an incredibly poor state: the only cat species that was in such danger was the saber-toothed tiger thousands of years ago.

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In simple words, the Iberian lynx was one step away from extinction. The population decline was partly attributed to more land being used for agriculture. However, an increase in the number of fatalities on the roads and the struggle for food also contributed.. The fact is that the main prey of lynxes are wild rabbits, and their numbers have decreased by 95% as a result of two pandemics..

By 2005, there were simply no lynxes left in Portugal, but for Spain this year was successful, as the first litter was born in captivity. It took another three years for Portugal to decide on a national action plan for the conservation of the species. This led to the construction of the National Iberian Lynx Breeding Center in Silves, Algarve..

The work of the center was focused on two areas:.

According to Serra, when he and his colleagues notice that the brood is becoming more confident, they will come in and chase them, making a lot of noise to scare the animals.. This is how researchers teach lynxes not to approach people in the wild.. Scientists are also using a special tunnel system at the center to feed the animals and minimize human interaction. When the time comes, the animals are released into the wild..

The authors of the project note that it is genetics that determines exactly where the lynxes will end up.. This is necessary in order to reduce the risks of inbreeding and disease. Even if a lynx was born in Portugal, it can be brought to Spain.

According to Pedro Sarmento, who is responsible for the reintroduction of lynx in Portugal and has been studying the species for more than 30 years, the breeding program and return of the animals to the wild have been hailed as a success.. However, scientists warn that as the population grows, problems may arise..

The fact is that lynxes are often released onto private lands in Portugal, and therefore the organizers of the program initially need to come to an agreement with the owners. According to Sarmento, there were also some attacks on chicken coops during the program, but fortunately there were few of them.

Almost three decades have passed since Spain decided to focus its efforts on saving the species and scientists now believe that the Iberian lynx is no longer on the verge of extinction. Moreover, researchers hope that within 10 years the species will reach a favorable status - for this to happen, the number of individuals in the wild must reach 5,000 - 6,000 individuals.

Focus previously wrote that an unflappable Canadian lynx staged a photo shoot with a camera trap.