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Lorca highlands welcome another young breeding pair of lynx
The two newest additions, Wala and Watu, came to Murcia from the La Olivilla Breeding Centre in Jaén
Two more adolescent Iberian lynx were released into the Lorca highlands on February 27 as part of the ambitious European LIFE LynxConnect programme, which is working hard to reintroduce this vulnerable big cat to southern Spain.
The latest additions are Wala, a 7.8-kilo female, and Watu, a 10-kilo male, both from the La Olivilla Breeding Centre in Jaén. They are joined by two more females, Woma and Wanilla, both weighing 9.5 kilos and from the Silves Breeding Centre in Portugal, who were reintroduced on the February 17 by the El Valle Wildlife Recovery Centre.
This means that six of the eight lynx planned for release this year in the Region have now been returned to their natural habitat.Minister of the Environment, Universities, Research, and the Mar Menor, Juan María Vázquez, highlighted that the release programme “consolidates the progress achieved in recent years, with individuals remaining in the area, females establishing stable territories and a progressive improvement in the stability of the population.”
Another important milestone for the reintroduction scheme was the recent birth of two Iberian lynx litters, a first for the Region of Murcia.
“We hope these won't be the last, and the reports from the monitoring teams on stable pairs and population stability point in that direction,” the regional minister noted.
Last year, the lynx settled in the Lorca Highlands established connecting corridors with reintroduction areas in neighbouring Andalucia, particularly in the Sierra de Arana (Granada), María (Almería) and Guarrizas (Jaén).
"This expansion has been further enhanced by the movement we have observed towards the Hellín area in Albacete and Campo de Montiel in the province of Ciudad Real, reinforcing the Region's strategic role as a link between different population centres on the Iberian Peninsula," remarked the minister.“The Iberian lynx can already be considered a conservation success story in Europe,” the regional minister stated, citing as an example of this success the fact that the Iberian lynx population has now exceeded 2,500 individuals, “a figure that allowed the species' threat level to be lowered from 'Endangered' to 'Vulnerable' according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).”
For more local events, news and visiting information contact the tourist office at the Palacio de Guevara (telephone 968 441914) or go to the home page of Lorca Today.
Images:Ayuntamiento de Lorca
