Iberian Lynx On The Edge - About 100 Remain - ENS

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LUZIANES, Portugal, March 9, 2005 (ENS) - Survival of the Iberian lynx is in grave doubt, a Portuguese conservation group said in an urgent alert today. The world's most endangered cat, found only in Spain and Portugal, numbers only about 100 animals now, down from 100,000 at the turn of the 20th century, according to a report from SOS Lynx.

Accidental deaths caused by speeding vehicles on the network of roads expanding across lynx habitat are now the greatest cause of mortality for the big cats, according to the report written by Dan Ward, a conservation consultant commissioned by SOS Lynx. "The Iberian Lynx is in critical danger of extinction, with 100-120 surviving mature individuals in the wild, and 37-47 cubs born this year from just 21-26 reproducing females," wrote Ward. For comparison, there are around 8,000 surviving tigers in the wild and 10,000 cheetahs.

Road and dam construction fragmenting lynx habitat, illegal hunting, and a steep decline due to disease in rabbits, favorite prey of the lynx, are the other urgent problems facing the species, Ward confirms. WWF, the global conservation organization, warned today that unless the European Union and Spain "take drastic action," the Iberian lynx could be the first big cat species to become extinct since the sabre-toothed tiger died out 10,000 years ago.

WWF has been urging the Spanish authorities for over two years to close the Villamanrique-El Rocio road, which crosses the heart of Doñana Natural Park and fragments critical lynx habitat. The road was built with partial funding from the EU, and several lynx have already been killed on it, the latest one six months ago."

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http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2005/2005-03-09-03.asp