Second litter of lynx confirmed in the Guadiana Valley (Portugal)

Lagunilla, a female Iberian lynx two years ed agand from the Zarza of Granadilla Reproduction Centre in Spain, was released on May 11, 2015 in the Estate of Romeiras under the Project "Recovery of Historical Distribution of the Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus ) in Spain and Portugal (LIFE+10/NAT/ES/000570 - Iberlince)”. Its first moves were to the west a few days later, traveling about 15 km in the wild and settling a few meters from the national road (N123) Castro Verde-Mértola. As this constituted a great risk of being run over, the ICNF technicians intervened to remove the lynx getting the female back to the area of the original core and just to establish their territory with the remaining lynx.

Already in 2016, the continuous monitoring of animals by photo-trapping indicated that this female had come into heat and is often detected with the male Luso. The pregnancy was finally confirmed through various videos, which was notorious increasing the size of its belly. The birth occured between 2 and 8 March of this year and on May 12 the ICNF technicians were able to observe and photograph two fawns that will have about 2 months assuming the existence of a third. The territory of Lagunilla has very high a wild rabbit density, an important condition for the stabilization of lynx females. In this case there are also countless olive trees that can be used as dens and where the young remain during the breastfeeding period.

One week after the confirmation of the first child, the daughter of another female of this core founder of lynx, the ICNF tracking managed to confirm the existence of the second litter and christened one of the pups as "Nosso". These two events are one of the most important milestones in the long history of conservation of the Iberian lynx in Portugal, started over 30 years with the campaign LPN "Let us save the lynx and the Serra da Malcata". The existence of breeding females is the most significant indicator of the health of a population and a fact that holds the potential success of the reintroduction process started.