Espina

As our field mates told us, Espina, daughter of Cachuela and born in the area of Abalario (population of Doñana) in 2008, dispersed at the end of the year to an area with little presence of rabbit. On December 2, it was captured on the El Rocío-Matalascañas road, where it was also at risk of being hit. Espina moved to the quarantine of the breeding center "El Acebuche" where it regained its body condition. Later, with the recommendation of the geneticists, it was decided to remain in captivity to from here to contribute as a founder with its valuable genetics to increase the variability of the population.

Espina was one of the specimens affected by hypervitaminosis D at the end of 2009. Its renal disease, classified in Phase I in June 2010, evolved very quickly at its onset, as in the other affected young specimens, passing to Considered in phase II in December 2010. The treatment received since then caused the disease to slow down, not until after its sanitary review in November 2014, when the Phase III animal was classified.

Throughout these years, despite its illness, Espina raised two puppies, Kolia in 2013 and Madroña in 2015. It was a quiet female the rest of the year but nervous at the time of calving, so it was left with the whole champion open for it to choose where to make its den. We used to choose majesties or shrubs inaccessible to the camera, which made us suffer until the puppy came out to the facility and we could see that it was well.

In 2016 it was decided not to pair it again, since its state was not suitable to carry out a gestation.
In recent weeks, Espina progressively stopped eating, eating only boned food from all types of prey offered. In spite of this it continued to rise to its pine and made it difficult to leave it in a small installation where to be able to capture it. Espina died the night between the 23rd and the 24th of February in its birth room, but we are happy to think that there are still two of its cubs to continue...