The releases of the Iberian Lynx continue in Extremadura on the first week of February

During the first week of February the releases of lynx continued in Extremadura. Five copies were released: three females and two males.

The females are from the Breeding Center of Silves (Portugal), and are called "Mera", "Magacela" and "Maguilla".

The males come from the Breeding Center of La Olivilla (Jaén), and they are "Majadal" and "Mayo".

Specimens which come from different breeding centers ensure genetic copies strengthening of Extremadura to avoid inbreeding.

When they finished loose, two females and one male coexist in fencing adaptation for some time until it is established that have adapted to the environment. The other two copies will be released in hard loose (directly to the environment) because it is considered by the responsible technicians who are better suited to deal appropriately with their environment.

Thus, there will be 20 copies of lynx in Extremadura, waiting to free three more copies in March.
All released lynx are equipped with a location collar that allows adequate monitoring by technicians. The information provided by the GPS collars is vital also to know their movements, land use and analyze the habits of dispersal of the species, which in the future will establish guidelines for the interconnection of stable and self-sustaining populations of the Iberian Peninsula so that it can more conveniently ensure the future of the species.

Lynx reintroduction by the Directorate General of Environment of the Junta de Extremadura Extremadura began in 2014 as part of the Life+Iberlince Project: Recovery of the historical distribution of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Spain and Portugal. It is funded to 61.57% by the European Union and coordinated by the Government of Andalusia, it is a transnational project involving nineteen partners and commits both countries, Spain and Portugal, representing the entire historic range of the Iberian lynx. It involves the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia, and also the work of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment together with numerous organizations: CBD-HÁBITAT, WWF, SECEM and ADENEX, some others related to the hunting industry as APROCA and the Andalusian Federation of Hunting, and private companies Agroforex, FOMECAM and CAJÚ.