Farewell of the grandfather of Doñana

Last January 31, 2017, the staff of the Life+IBERLINCE project that tracks the population of Doñana located the adult male corpse known as "Boliche" on a hunting ground within this Natural Area.

This specimen, about to turn twelve, was at the moment the oldest male of the population, and his physical condition (especially his dentition) was already witnessed this past October 11, when he was captured and checked in the routine program Health assessment.

"Boliche" (litter brother of "Boj") was born in 2005 in the northern area of the King's preserve. With a recently completed year and after a relatively rapid dispersion, it settled south of the Rocio, within the Doñana National Park. There he lived for 6 years his time of greatest competitive potential or maximum vigor, sharing his territory with the female "Aliso", until he was expelled by another male younger than him.

The end of a wild cat's life is always sad and difficult. Deteriorated and aged by the passage of the years, he is displaced by younger individuals and condemned to malvivir in suboptimal zones until dying because of the last evil.

But this was not exactly the case of "Boliche". And is that this male spent his last almost five years of life in a stump where rabbits abound much more than in their former territory; Which seems to indicate that we have known the first case of "advantageous retirement in lynx". The hunting management of the Hunting Club Virgen del Rocío is exemplary; And the results of the census of rabbit and lynx (among other species), as well as the close collaboration with Life+IBERLINCE and other projects since the beginning of the century.

It is encouraging to find cases like this where conservation and hunting management are not only compatible but also complementary; I wish it were always like this.

After receiving the results of the analytical necessary to complete the necropsy, it can be concluded that "Boliche" died of tuberculosis, but with a full stomach and without any pellets in his body.

And life goes on; We bid farewell to the old "Bowling" with the joy of knowing that the gap left in the population of Doñana is already being occupied by another male.