The Hunting Sector of Montes de Toledo in conference with Life+IBERLINCE project techincians

Iberlince technicians along with hunters, guards, managers and owners of hunting analyzed on Tuesday, May 26, the situation of the lynx and its compatibility with hunting in the region.

The meeting was held in the town of Pulgar, municipality included in the reintroduction area of Montes de Toledo. The attendees were able to receive first-hand how the Project Life+Iberlince is being developed in Castilla-La Mancha.

This was the first hunting season with the stable presence of Iberian lynx in the Toledo region for over a decade. The first specimens of Iberian lynx, Kuna, Kentaro and Kahn were freed on 26 November 2014. Since then the Iberlince team has freed in the area a total of 10 individuals, four males and six females.

After a presentation of the proposed reintroduction, at the beginning of the meeting, a round of interventions from the attendees was succeeded by exposing their views, concerns and questions into the draft recovery of the lynx in Montes de Toledo. It also revealed the concern of the industry by the decline in rabbit populations largely due to the new strain of the viral haemorrhagic disease (EHVc) of the rabbit, which makes the continued practice of hunting to the species.

The perception is favorable to the project and all participants highlighted the work of control exercised over its competitor’s lynx, which has a positive impact on the populations of wild rabbits and partridges. Another conclusion was the dialogue and collaborative arrangement showing the hunting sector to increase populations of species of small hunting material, rabbit and partridge, which are essential as small game and as prey in the food web of Mediterranean forest.

The Life+IBERLINCE express thanks for the collaboration and the welcome of Pulgar County, giving away facilities to conduct the meeting. At the same time we thank everyone for their participation and cooperation meeting being a meeting point where work synergies are generated.